It's an Animal Thing
by Casey 'Flame' Wolfe
Summary: The first thing Riddick thought of the beast that had just tackled him to the ground was "beautiful." How was he to know that this predator would turn into an equally attractive man? Johns wasn't sure what he expected when he finally caught up to the convict of legend, but it certainly wasn't to find himself drawn to the man. AU. Shapeshifter!Johns. Riddick/Johns. Explicit.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Looks like my goal of getting this story done before the new Riddick movie came out was a success! This story IS complete. I'm just going through editing before posting, so they'll be regular updates. As noted, this was written and complete BEFORE the new movie is/was out. So, while this does include characters that appear in the new movie, it does not touch the plotline from said movie so there are ZERO spoilers involved. Breathe easy.**

**Thanks to my usual band of misfits- Pixie and Hellsbells- for beta reading for me, and to the new addition- Queenie- for doing so as well. You're all wonderful darlings!**

**Also, to see the banner I made for the story, visit my Deviantart- linked on my profile.**

* * *

Riddick ran. It's what he did best. It seemed he was always running now, from mercs that dogged him everywhere he went. This latest one on his tail wasn't the usual sort. The guy had been on him quickly and never seemed to get shaken loose like other mercs did. He was good- _damn good_- and it pained Riddick to admit it.

He was walking through back alleys and slummy streets, trying to shake his tail in the darkness. Once he did that, he could make a dash for the nearest spaceport, steal a ship, and be off the shitty planet and hopefully get some distance between him and this merc. He knew the guy was there, even though he never saw him. It was his instincts that told him there was a hunter stalking him, and those instincts had saved him on more than one occasion.

Going through a pocket of scummy types, he then slipped down an alley, cutting across a few streets before turning down another path that led around a large warehouse. The hair on the back of his neck rose, and he only had a moment to react. Spinning, he threw his arms up to block as a blur flew from another alley. Riddick went down, a heavy weight slamming him to the ground.

When he looked up, his eyes met pools of deep blue-grey, and fangs. A large feline was straddling him, front paws pressing onto his chest. It was a muscular beast, black as the night. Although in the crummy, dim light, he could see the faint spotting coming from underneath- a black jaguar.

"Beautiful," he whispered. Any normal person would think him mad, staring straight at the snarling beast without fear. No, his gaze was one of admiration.

At his whispered word, the cat hesitated, claws that had been digging into his skin, eased slightly, the growl faltering. He knew better than to think the beast was no longer a threat, the still bared canines a clear indication of just how easily his neck could be snapped.

Riddick held perfectly still as the cat leaned in slowly, snuffling his throat. As it continued to scent him in various places though, he couldn't help but reach up and place a hand on its neck. The cat stiffened, growling lowly.

"'S'ok beautiful," Riddick intoned, his voice an equally low gravel quality. His hand slowly slid through the surprisingly soft fur, down to the creature's shoulder. He could feel the powerful muscles rippling beneath his fingers. "I ain't gonna hurt ya."

There was an almost snickering sound coming from the cat, and it changed into full blown male laughter. In the same instant, the fur beneath his fingers became flesh. Before he knew it, there was a metal cuff slapped on his wrist. His eyes flickered to view the person on top of him.

Straddling his waist was an attractive blonde male, just as beautiful as the jaguar had been. His eyes were the same startling blue, and he was well-built. His cargos were slung low onto his hips, and the white long-sleeve shirt looked good on him- though Riddick was disappointed to find he was wearing a bulletproof vest that hid a lot of what he wanted to see.

"Pretty sure it's _you _that should be worried 'bout gettin' hurt there, big guy," the blonde answered with a slight drawl. When he slapped the cuff onto his other wrist, Riddick's eyes narrowed. "Name's Johns," he continued with a smirk. "I'll be your transport this evening."

The shiny badge on his vest glinted as he stood, pulling Riddick up with him. The escaped convict snorted. "You ain't no cop," he grunted.

The blonde- Johns- smirked, tilting his head. "Who said I was?" He followed Riddick's line of sight and his smirked turned into a full grin. "Comes in handy. Most people don't like mercs. Myself included."

"A merc who hates mercs." Riddick's lips curled in amusement. "How interestin'."

"I'm an interesting guy," he quipped back. "Now let's go Riddick." He pulled at the restraints. "And no funny business, hmm? I really don't wanna break your neck."

Riddick sneered. "I'm worth twice as much alive."

Johns had a twinkle in his eye and he quirked his lips. "Exactly."

* * *

Chained up in the back of a skiff was nothing new to Riddick. Although his particular company certainly was different. He didn't come off as a typical merc, though he certainly had the cocky attitude of one. Riddick supposed it came with the territory though, and if the guy was as good as he seemed- which would be _damn _good to take Riddick by surprise- then he was probably afford a _bit _of it.

Once they were in the shipping lane and their course set, the blonde stood up from the pilot seat, stretching out as he did so. He could hear a few bones popping back into place, and watched Johns' whole body relax. "Mmm, much better," he whispered. He tapped a few more things on the console, before walking to the back.

"So," Riddick's deep voice broke the quiet, "where we off to?"

Johns smirked. "Butcher Bay."

"Hmm, never been." Riddick gave him a feral grin. "Always enjoy breakin' outta new places."

The merc chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Good luck with that. Hoxie's a real bastard. He ain't gonna let a convict get outta there easy."

"Where would be the fun in that?"

The laughter was a bit deeper that time, and Riddick couldn't help but quirk his lips. It was a nice sound.

Johns took his vest off, dropping it next to the small rack that served as a bed- utilitarian and military in style. The whole skiff was set up that way. "So what branch you serve in?" Riddick inquired.

"Marines," the blonde answered with a smirk. "It figures a guy like you'd pick up on that." He sat on the edge of the cot to take his boots off. "But then, s'ppose you bein' a Ranger boy gives you a bit more of an edge."

Riddick shrugged as much as his restraints allowed. "Could be. But you don't act like a merc."

Johns snorted. "Was an MP, hunted down AWOL soldiers." He looked up then, smirking. "Might say the penal system was offering the big bucks if I'd turn my skills to catchin' their bounties for 'em." He shrugged. "Somethin' to do I s'ppose."

As the blonde lay down onto the cot, head facing Riddick, the convict noted all the weapons that Johns left easily in reach should he need them. The merc wasn't worried in the least, letting all his muscles relax. Riddick's eyes traveled his form appreciatively.

"So you do it for shits and giggles?" Riddick inquired.

Blue eyes turned to him, gazing at him upside-down. "For now," he admitted. "At least it ain't borin'. And I don't have to answer to anyone."

Riddick could appreciate that. He was still curious about this particular man- something he could rarely say- but he knew he was starting to push the boundaries of what the guy was going to give up, so he accepted the silence that followed.

After a few moments, he heard Johns moving. Riddick looked just in time to watch as his body started to change. Bones shifted, fur grew, fangs flashed, and his ears and tail emerged. What was once a powerful looking man was now an equally powerful looking beast. The cat stretched out before sprawling languidly on his side.

Riddick knew how rare shapeshifters were supposed to be- especially large felines. The merc's added abilities certainly explained how he was so good at tracking. It was doubtful many could slip his nose once he'd gotten a sniff. Combine that with the tricks he would have picked up in the MMP's and he was one very unique challenge.

The quiet hum of the ship lulled Riddick, and he did his best to relax in the seat he was bound to. He continued to admire the cat as he started to drift off, noting the heavier rise and fall of the barreled chest. For some reason, he found that he really wanted to feel that ebony fur again.

The jaguar's nose twitched as Riddick reached out towards him. Even though the merc had afforded him some more room to move, he still couldn't quite reach. Deciding to try something, he clicked his tongue softly, watching ears automatically zeroing in on the sound. He repeated it, and the cat squirmed a bit, nose pointed towards him then to take a deeper sniff.

After a few moments, the semi-conscious jaguar wiggled a bit closer, putting his wet nose into Riddick's outstretched hand. Another sniff and the cat was shifting so that Riddick could lay his hand on his head. Considering it a win, the convict rubbed the soft fur, moving to scratch behind his ears.

He held back an amused chuckle as the cat pushed against his touch, and then started to purr. "Beautiful," Riddick confirmed.

It was hours later, when the console started to beep, that Riddick stirred. The sight that greeted him was one for the books- a jaguar half in his lap, half on the cot, head butted up against his hand. The sound agitated the slumbering cat, who grumbled in annoyance. Suddenly, the jaguar hissed in surprise, half jumping, half falling away from Riddick.

The convict laughed, which only grew in intensity as the merc shifted back into a human. Johns was scowling at him. He hit a couple buttons on the console to shut it up. As he shook his head, Riddick figured that if sharp noises like that annoyed _his _better than average hearing, than it was probably painful to a shifter.

"Asshole," Johns muttered, running his fingers through his curly dirty blonde hair.

Riddick grinned. "I didn't do anything. You're the one that practically crawled into my lap." Johns snorted, but didn't reply, so the convict decided to needle him a bit more. "Seemed to like it too if the purrin' was any indication."

"I did _not purr,_" he snapped back.

There was a satisfied look on Riddick's face. "Mmhmm, sure you didn't beautiful."

Johns scowled at his comment but didn't bite that time. Instead, he plopped into the pilot chair, busying himself with checking flight and skiff statuses.

Riddick only chuckled, settling back into his chair. This merc was something else alright. He wouldn't mind getting to know him a bit better.

* * *

Hoxie and Johns had history. That was made painfully clear on arrival. "See ya soon, Johns," Riddick whispered, smirking at the curious look he was given as he was led away by Abbott, the Warden's second.

Really, they thought this place would hold him? It was a rather sad state of affairs when people were allowed to be so naive.

* * *

The darkness. It had always been a friend. There in the sewer system underneath Butcher Bay though, it was becoming his downfall. He met a crazy doctor living there in the darkness that was able to patch him up though.

That's when it happened. A voice, coming from the shadows. A woman? He didn't have time to process what the hell she meant by "being blind for far too long" as his whole body felt like it was on fire. His head pounded, and he doubled over with the intensity of the pain. When he opened his eyes again, everything glowed.

* * *

Johns grunted in frustration as he walked the outer docking area. He had to get outside, away from all the guards and other mercs that were staying over. They made his skin crawl. And Hoxie, well, he wasn't helping matters any.

It was all Johns could do to keep his cat restrained. He was pretty sure if he clawed up the Warden's face, he wouldn't be getting his money. Then again, it seemed the bastard was doing everything he could to not pay him. _Hoxie and his fucking memory_. Perhaps it would be worth letting out his claws after all.

He snorted, shaking his head. No, he could hear his father already. Not many people knew of their shifter status- that were still alive anyway. It made things... complicated. He would just have to bite his tongue and hope for the best out of the mess. He'd give it one more day before he decided to start ripping throats out. That thought made his cat purr.

There was a shifting in the shadows that he caught from the corner of his eye. He dropped into a ready stance immediately, one hand dropping to his shotgun. His nose, while not as sensitive in his human form, picked up the hint of something familiar-_ Riddick_.

"Well, I'll be damned," he drawled out, the hint of laughter in his voice. He crossed his arms over his chest, taking a quick look around- though his ears told him that no one was nearby. "You can come out now, Riddick."

There was a deep chuckle as said convict peeled out from the shadows. "Miss me?" he mused.

Johns shook his head. "Not in the slightest," he replied dryly. He felt his cat protesting that, but he ignored it. He glanced over towards where he'd come from the merc area. "Plannin' to go somewhere?"

"Yeah, off this damn station," he replied matter-of-factly. Johns didn't even twitch when the convict walked right past him, arm brushing up against his back.

The merc took a deep breath, cursing himself as he called after the man. Riddick paused, looking over his shoulder with a slight smirk. "Let's take my ship," Johns grumbled, walking right by the other man to take the lead. There was another deep chuckle, but he could feel as much as hear him following.

They were off the landing pad before anyone was the wiser. Once they were clear of the minefield, Johns breathed a heavy sigh. "What the fuck am I doin'?" he muttered, setting in a new course towards the nearest major transport hub.

Riddick leaned over the pilot chair, his husky voice resonating in his ear. "Looks like you're aiding and abetting."

Johns snorted, spinning the chair towards another set of computers to shake the convict off. "Only helped ya 'cause the bastard didn't wanna pay up. Your ass is goin' back to Slam as soon as I can figure out who's willin' to pay the most."

"Uh huh." He could hear the smirk in Riddick's reply. "Just keep tellin' yourself that beautiful."

Johns didn't bother to hide the annoyed growl.

* * *

It was quite a while before Johns felt in control enough to turn the chair around to face Riddick. What he saw gave him pause- a shiv. The convict just sat on the edge of the cot, twirling it through his fingers, spinning it on his palm, tossing it gently into the air. Where had he gotten that? Worse, how the hell hadn't Johns heard him or been aware of what he was doing?

"Shouldn't get so caught up in your anger there Johns," the convict spoke as though reading his mind. "You start to miss things that way." Riddick plucked the knife out of the air, looking at him with a cocky smirk. "Can be very deadly. 'Specially in your line a work."

Johns scowled at him, holding out his hand and gesturing with his fingers. "Hand it over, Riddick."

"Why? If I wanted ya dead, I coulda killed ya already." He set the blade spinning on his palm again.

"My ship, my rules." Johns motioned again, happy to see the other man comply. "Got anythin' else?" he asked dryly, stashing the knife in his vest.

"Care to search me?" Riddick mused, a large grin forming on his face. It held just a hint of feral quality to it, and once again his own inner beast made its approval known.

"Fuck off," he grumbled to the other man. He stood, walking over to one of the supply lockers and pushing it open. He could feel the searing gaze on him, watching his every movement. Pulling out a couple of the crappy military rations he kept on board, he tossed one to Riddick.

"Should chain you back up," he mentioned, turning to gauge the convict's reaction. He watched the man's jaw tighten in discomfort, the strong muscles of his shoulders and thighs bunching- ready to fight or flee. "But, like ya said," he continued, "you could've killed me already. So, don't prove me wrong."

Riddick didn't reply, but the merc watched as he visibly relaxed before digging into his food. Johns lowered the cot on the opposite wall, taking a seat to eat his own food. "Where we goin'?" Riddick questioned after a while of amicable silence.

"Don't worry about it," Johns remarked. The convict didn't push, so he didn't offer more. Though, after a few minutes of quiet again, he couldn't help but remark, "You smell."

There was a snort for a reply, then, "Yeah, well, you crawl through a sewer system and tell me how well _you _smell on the other side."

Johns smirked at that, but then shook his head. "No, s'not that. The other people." He scrunched up his nose. Softer, he admitted, "You smell like other people." When he had turned the convict over to Hoxie, he was aware some of his scent had imprinted itself onto Riddick- between catching him and then sleeping in his lap. _That _thought was still embarrassing in and of itself.

Riddick was not a study in the finer parts of social interactions. Not quite sure how to respond to that, or even if there was a right way _to _respond, left it alone. After all, Johns was his ride out of the slammer. Granted, he was also the ride _back _to one, but he didn't plan on sticking around- he'd slip away when the time was right.

Thankful not to continue on that particular line of thought, Johns instead turned his attention back to the cockpit. He updated his logs- with a few colorful words added about Hoxie- and furrowed his brows. "Not sure if this fucks with my record now or not."

He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud until Riddick replied, "If what does?"

Johns glanced over at him. "You escaping. I mean technically I signed you over, so that means successful delivery." He nodded then, satisfied with that answer. "You just became lucky 18," he mused, updating the log. "18 for 18." He smirked. _Take that Dad._

"Glad I could help," Riddick responded evenly.

When Johns turned back to him to reply, he hesitated. Riddick had been wearing a pair of miner goggles when they reunited, but now he had them pulled up. His eyes had been a deep brown, yet now he was staring into a pair of glowing silver orbs. It took a moment to find his voice. "What..." He wet his lips. "What the fuck happened to your eyes?"

Riddick smirked, taking a moment before responding. "Surgical shine job. Menthol Cools go a long way on the inside." He tapped his cheekbone, pointing to his eyes. "Now, I can see who's sneakin' up on me in the dark."

Johns' brows furrowed and he frowned. He'd known of other people who'd had such a procedure done. There wasn't a high probability of success, and most people who tried either died or fried their brains from the pain. Riddick was insane for having tried something like that at all- never mind being in a Slam- though it spoke to how strong he was. Or perhaps he was simply that damn lucky.

Not helping himself, Johns moved towards him, his cat coming closer to the surface as he all but stalked at the edge of Riddick's personal space. His instincts saw a predator, a more powerful one than the last time he faced him. His nostrils flared, trying to take in more of the man's scent, but it was watered down too greatly by others he'd come into contact with. His cat was _not _happy about that.

In a fluid motion, Johns pounced, landing on the convict in full jaguar form. Riddick grunted when he hit the cot, but he didn't try to fight. His silver eyes sparked in the dim light, like beacons to his feline side- cats liked shiny things, what could he say?

The convict let him lean in, sniffing at his throat like he'd done the first night they met. He was pleased when he found Riddick's scent. There was a sudden urge in him to mark, to rub his own scent back into Riddick's skin and wash away any of the other offending odors. Johns blinked at that, backing away slightly in surprise at his own thoughts.

Riddick's actions stunned him more though. Without any fear, he reached up and scratched under his chin. Johns would deny the happy chirping sound he admitted to the day he died. He didn't miss how it made the man smirk. As his hand moved up towards his ear though, Johns remembered himself and snapped at him.

The man may have caught him off-guard with the scratch under his chin, but that didn't mean he was allowed to pet him all of a sudden. No one needed to be touching him. That was something only his mate would be afforded.

_Mate. Challenge, _his feline instincts screamed.

The silver eyes glinted again, accompanied by a more feral grin than before. Johns didn't often let his jaguar side take over, but in this they were in agreement. He wanted to challenge this animal under him, test him, find out his worth.

Johns pulled his lips back in a grin of his own, fangs glinting as deadly as the glowing eyes looking back.

* * *

Riddick had caught the challenge in those blue eyes, and he was happy to oblige. He rolled off the cot, bringing the large cat down with him. Johns used his weight though, rolling them. The momentum continued until they ended up in the middle of the skiff.

He'd remained on top, but as Riddick went to try and pin the cat he felt hind paws hit his chest. Those powerful rear legs sent him flying and he slammed into the back wall. Coming to his feet, the jaguar lunged out at him, Riddick slipping to the side before the cat could connect.

The convict was impressed, watching as Johns acted within a split second. Paws came up to stop him from slamming into the wall, and instead twisted in mid-air, pushing off the wall to swing around. Riddick smirked, and he noted the cat's lips curling in a way that may have been a grin of his own.

The two predators circled around each other the best they could in the small space, observing the other, waiting for the right time to strike. They ended up moving as one. As the jaguar left the floor, Riddick dropped to his knees, reaching up and grabbing a forearm. He drug the cat out from the air, putting him to the ground.

As he went to pin him down however, Johns started to shift back to his human form. In doing so, Riddick couldn't get a good hold anywhere and the blonde wiggled out of his grasp. "Slippery bastard," the convict muttered, hearing laughter in reply.

Johns was bouncing on the balls of his feet, lightly moving back and forth, a playful grin on his face. Riddick couldn't help but take in the sight, licking his lips. He didn't know what it was about this guy he found so intriguing. He may not have been a shifter, but he knew he was in touch with his own inner animal, his feral side.

It was why he knew exactly what Johns was up to. He was testing him, feeling him out. He was prodding at him for strengths and weaknesses, seeing just what he was made of. Some reason, that made Riddick want to show off a bit. He couldn't bring his other blades out, not without potentially hurting the merc, but that didn't mean he couldn't play dirty.

The pair ended up all over the skiff, each being pinned or hit at some point. Elbows and knees started coming into play, and Johns cursed at a particularly good shot to the midsection. However, the blonde gave as good as he got, and he was the first person Riddick could remember in a long time being able to keep up with him.

At one point he slammed into Johns so hard, he stumbled backwards and hit some of the flight controls. It pitched the skiff, throwing him sideways into another console. "Shit!" the merc exclaimed, but before he could correct anything, Riddick had slipped into the pilot chair and pulled her back steady.

Johns righted himself, punching in a few things to the computer system. "That was close," he mentioned. He looked over at Riddick then, laughter in his eyes. "Nice save. Almost forgot you used to pilot."

Riddick nodded, letting the ship go back into autoflight. He had made one hell of a Ranger, which was how he ended up going to the Strikeforce Academy. That had been the beginning of the end for him. If only he knew then what he knew now. He wouldn't dwell on it though, instead turning the chair to look at Johns.

The blonde was breathing a little heavier, sweat coating his skin, but he was grinning softly. They stared at each other for a few minutes before Riddick got up. He was slightly taller than the other man, yet even having to tilt his chin a bit to keep eye contact, Johns wasn't nervous in the least.

Riddick wanted to laugh or slap him in the back of the head- maybe both. If Johns was smart, he _would _be afraid. He was an animal, probably moreso than Johns. He didn't care about anything except surviving and staying free. Being around Riddick could only bring trouble to him.

As he walked back to the cot though, flopping down on it, Riddick couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the merc could make him care.


	2. Chapter 2

Johns was leaning back in the pilot chair when a beeping sounded from the communication panel. "Great," he muttered. He turned his chair enough to gaze back at Riddick, who was sitting on the edge of the cot sharpening another shiv he'd pulled from somewhere. The blonde rolled his eyes, not even going to bother with that. "Keep quiet," was all he said, turning back to the screen. "And stay outta sight," he added as an afterthought.

Hitting the button, a familiar face popped up on the screen. "Dad," he greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" He slumped back into his chair, careful to keep the high back turned to block where his tag-along was at.

His father scowled. "I just received a transmission from Lupus Guild. What are you doing?"

"Tracking a bounty, why?"

"Were you at Butcher Bay?"

Johns snorted. "Yeah, and Hox is the same _bastard _he always was. Refused my payment, so I left."

"Same time as an inmate went missing so I'm told."

"Yeah?" Johns acted nonchalant, but as usual his father knew better.

"Billy," he warned. "The Guild seems to think you helped that inmate escape."

Johns barely managed not to jump as he saw Riddick in his peripheral, leaning against the wall so as not to be seen. Clearly his interest was piqued. "That so? They got any proof of that?"

"No," his father replied dryly. "Apparently all the security cams in docking were fried." There was no missing Riddick's satisfied smirk, and it took all of Johns' willpower not to snort at that. "But there's strong suspicion all the same."

Scoffing, Johns rolled his eyes. "Who gives a fuck what the Guild thinks?" He sure as hell didn't. As far as he was concerned, Lupus Guild- or any merc guild for that matter- was just an annoyance.

"William." His father's tone dropped low, and boy did he know it well. He was getting ready for a good old fashioned ass-chewing. "You should care. This is your career you're speaking of. If you don't have a good reputation within your guild then there's no point in doing what you do."

Johns scowled at that. Sure, his father was right, but there was more to it than that. "Come off it! All you care about is your _own _reputation with them! If I fuck up than it looks bad on you!"

"William-"

"Don't bother! Tell Lupus they can fuck off! And you can do the same!" He slammed his hand onto the console button, cutting the feed as his father started to reply.

There was a low growl leaving his lips, the only sound outside the low humming of the engines. After a few moments, he heard Riddick shift uncomfortably and come over, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Johns..."

"Don't," the merc muttered, getting up and walking away. He scrubbed his hands over his face, sighing heavily. He opened a supply locker, grabbing a bottle of water and some pain meds- he could already feel the headache coming on. He swallowed down the pills before kicking the locker shut harder than was necessary.

Turning, he saw Riddick was still standing there, watching him carefully. He wasn't sure what was going through the other man's head, but then at the moment he didn't care. He was just angry- at himself as much as his father.

Their relationship had been on the rocks lately. It seemed like Boss had just gotten over the fact that his son had joined the Marines when he became of age, although returning to work on his dad's merc crew afterward helped. Ever since Johns had left the team to strike out on his own however, they had been rather short with each other.

He figured by then he would have proven himself a capable hunter, but it seemed there was no pleasing his dad. Boss Johns was just one of those old-school guys that wouldn't be impressed by anything less than perfection. Hadn't that been what Johns was giving the man though?

Johns shook himself all over, trying to get rid of all the bad feelings and loosen his muscles. It was then Riddick finally spoke up. "Shouldn't just leave your dad hangin' like that," he graveled out.

The merc snapped at him, "Whadda you know 'bout it?"

Riddick frowned then, grunting out, "Know that not everyone's so lucky to have a family." He walked right by him, lying down onto the bed.

Johns sighed, shoulders sagging. The man was right. He was frustrated with the situation and took it out on his dad. Boss was only looking out for him. "I'll call him back later," he mentioned softly. For the moment, he laid on his own cot, back to the other man- and the rest of the world.

* * *

It was quiet on the ship for a while. As Johns' anger waned, he felt more and more like an ass. Eventually he rolled over, facing the other cot. Riddick was laying on his back, wide awake, simply staring at the ceiling deep in thought.

"Sorry for yellin' at ya," the shifter spoke, breaking through the silence. The other man's head turned to the side, silver eyes gazing at him.

Nodding, Riddick sighed, "Guess it wasn't really any of my business anyway." He went back to looking at the ceiling.

Johns frowned, thinking back to what the other had said about not everyone having a family. It was clear Riddick had been speaking of himself, but the shifter knew there was no way that Riddick would open up about it- at least not without some sharing on Johns' part.

He sighed before admitting quietly, "My mom died when I was six." He noticed Riddick's gaze return from the corner of his eye, but he couldn't meet it. "Don't really remember much about her to be honest."

He could remember her smell- like grass in the spring after it would rain, flowers, and something that always just said _home _to him. He could recall her laugh- light and lilting- when he would stumble over his own paws trying to play in jaguar form. He knew she had long blonde hair, and his blue eyes, and a bright smile, though when he would try to put her image together in his mind, it would never come. Looking at the picture he carried with him in his vest was the only way he could truly _see _her.

Johns continued, "Dad was always smothering me. I get why, but still…" He sighed, knowing full well Boss did the things he did to protect him. That still didn't stop it from being frustrating. "He just gets overprotective over everything, and it's just so…" He growled then, pounding a clenched fist onto the edge of the cot.

Riddick couldn't say he didn't understand. He wouldn't have cared for someone looking over his shoulder all the time. All the same, the merc should have been grateful for what he had left. "I'm an orphan," he admitted, watching as Johns' attention shifted to him. "No idea if my parents are alive, but they certainly didn't give a shit." He snorted, recalling what he'd been told in the boy's home he grew up in. "Was found in a liquor store trash bin with my own cord around my neck."

The shifter looked at him then, frowning, brows creased together. Who could do something like that to their own child?

The convict sighed, letting his anger recede. It was an old wound, one that he was sure would never truly heal. Instead, he just learned to block the pain- there wasn't anything he could do to change things after all. "Guess my point is… don't take what you've got for granted."

Johns nodded. "I know," he whispered, settling back down on the cot.

Both men fell silent. Nothing else needed to be said. They realized that they weren't so very different- a scary concept to men such as they were, though oddly comforting in a strange way.

* * *

Riddick woke to the other cot shifting. He slit open his eyes, observing Johns stretch out very cat-like before wandering to the cockpit. With a heavy sigh, the merc tapped the console and brought up the communication screen. Curious, the convict cocked his head to hear better.

The call connected, but there was no greeting on the other end. A few seconds passed and then very softly Johns said, "Dad, I'm sorry."

There was a pause before the elder Johns replied. "I know." Riddick couldn't see the screen, but he could hear the resignation in his tone. "Billy... You know I just want what's best for you."

"I know," Johns admitted. He adjusted and Riddick saw a leg get thrown over the arm of the chair.

"I'm worried about you," he continued after a few beats. Johns didn't reply.

There was a female voice that came through the comms. "Boss," she called. "We've got a location on that jump."

"Excellent." He could hear the grin in his voice and Riddick had a moment where he wondered if it was as bright as Johns'. As he was shaking his head at the thought, Boss was continuing, "Come say hi."

"Hey!" the woman greeted, apparently seeing who it was. "Long time no see hun." Riddick grit his teeth at that.

"Hey Dahl," Johns replied, equally as bright. "You guys doin' alright?"

"Yeah. We miss you! We need to hook up sometime soon." It seemed casual and friendly enough, but it still grated on Riddick's nerves.

"Yeah, yeah, definitely," Johns agreed.

"Dahl, I'd like to talk to Billy about something else real quick. I'll be there in a minute."

"Sure. See ya hun."

After that Dahl woman left, the elder Johns sighed. "I think maybe you should come back to the crew for a bit."

"What? Why?" Johns was getting defensive again.

"Just settle your ass down," his father quickly replied. "I just think it may do you some good. It's not good for you to be out alone like this for so long." When Johns didn't reply, he tried being appeasing. "Will you think about it at least?"

"Yeah," he answered softly.

"Where you headed?"

"Lupus V," he answered. "Stop-over at Commercial City to resupply."

"Why don't we meet up on Lupus then? We're in the Aquila System on a hunt. Shouldn't take long. We can all catch up, and if you want to come with us then you can, if not..." There was a brief pause. "Well, keep me posted and we'll see if we can arrange a meet."

"Yeah, alright." Johns paused. "Love you, Dad."

Riddick could hear the smile in Boss' voice as he replied. "Love you too, Billy. Stay safe."

When the feed ended, Johns sighed heavily. It was a little while before he got to his feet, making his way back towards his own bed.

He wasn't sure what came over him, but Riddick reached out, grabbing ahold of the merc's arm as he tried to walk by. Johns started a bit, but then gazed at him questioningly. The convict didn't say a word though, only scooted over so his back was against the wall, pulling the other man down to the cot.

Johns actually went willingly, laying down facing him. Riddick wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him in flush. The shifter took a deep breath before letting it out, tucking his nose under the other's jaw. That action only made the convict smile softly.

There was a contented sound coming from the blonde, and Riddick had to admit that he was feeling more at ease and comfortable than he really ought to be.

* * *

Waking to arms full of giant furball should have been unnerving, but it wasn't. In fact, it felt rather nice. He opened his eyes to find the jaguar, curled up slightly with his back pushed up against Riddick's front. The convict ran a hand down the length of the cat's side, enjoying the pleased purr that he received.

The spotted coat was only partly visible through the black, mostly along his flanks, on top of his head and around his face. "Beautiful," he breathed. He said it before, but it bore repeating. Noticing the cat's ear twitch at the word, he smiled softly, leaning in closer to whisper it again.

That got him a large paw in his face. Johns grumbled, batting him away before hopping down and stretching out with a large yawn that showed off his deadly fangs. He shifted back to human form then. "What's your obsession with that?" he inquired with another yawn.

Riddick shrugged, sitting up as well. "Always found dangerous things to be beautiful."

Johns smirked at that. "Well, I am pretty deadly," he replied, the hint of a tease in his voice.

The convict grinned at that, showing his own teeth. "So am I."

* * *

They'd been in and out of Commercial City. They picked up more supplies at the small market next to the spaceport while the ship was refueled and systems charged. Now they were headed towards Lupus V. The original intent was that Johns could tap the vast merc network there and find the best place to take Riddick. Whether he was meeting his father was still up in the air.

Johns shouldn't have been surprised by his dad's want for him to rejoin the team. It was easier to watch over him there, which was exactly what Johns _didn't _want. He was his own man, and he didn't need a babysitter. He'd proven to be more than capable of handling bounties all on his own- and not just any bounties either, but the ones that no other merc could catch, like Riddick.

Riddick. The man became more of an enigma every day that passed. He wasn't sure why he didn't fight against the convict when he tugged him down to the cot that first night. It had happened every night since, with no word said about it by either of them.

If he were honest with himself, Johns took comfort in having someone so close- especially that first night. He had been on his own for so long that it was a nice change. Shifters of the feline variety weren't necessarily the most social of creatures, but that didn't mean they didn't like to have interactions- especially of the physical sort.

It hadn't escaped him that Riddick had started to take on his scent. It was pressed into his skin in various places now, filling his pores so that even bathing didn't take it all away. That made his inner cat chirp in delight, knowing any other shifter would hesitate to saunter up to the man smelling of someone else.

Why that mattered, he didn't know. No, he did. He was simply trying to ignore it. Every time the man drew close, he had to fight his instincts to rub heads, to scent, to lick. Everything about Riddick intrigued him, and his feline side practically begged to preen and prove worthy to be mate material.

Their little play fight had been a test, one that the convict passed with flying colors as far as his cat was concerned. He'd proven strong, cunning, agile. The fact he could show restraint in the power he projected showed even more skill. Riddick would be a worthy man to walk by his side as a friend- _or more_, the cat in him said.

At the moment, Riddick was playing with his blades again. He had counted at least five that the man had, yet was fairly certain there were at least one or two more he was keeping hidden just in case Johns took the others away. It was quite the collection for someone who had been in a Slam.

Johns watched as Riddick showed just how skilled he was with a blade. He moved so smoothly, and looked so at ease. It was like watching a dance. He recognized the comfort Riddick was showing as something he had with his firearms- particularly his favorite shotgun. It had been through hell and back with him, and he never went without it.

Riddick looked up, noting that Johns was watching him. "So, what Slam you decide to take me to?" the convict questioned, flipping a blade in the air before ducking down, slashing at an invisible enemy as he spun and caught the smaller knife behind his back.

He didn't reply, causing Riddick to pause in his game. Johns wasn't looking at him when he finally answered. "I ain't."

There was a careful, considered pause before Riddick ventured, "You're cuttin' me loose?" Johns nodded. "Why?"

Then Johns finally looked at him, meeting his eye. "Animals shouldn't live in cages. And heaven help the stupid bastard who tries to take you in." They stared at each other for a few moments before the convict gave a huffing laugh, shaking his head ruefully. He clearly didn't believe someone would do something like that for him, and Johns could barely believe it himself, but there it was.

Riddick smirked slightly, flipping the one shiv to offer the handle up to him. "They taught you to knife fight in the Marines, right?"

Johns smirked. "Yeah, but I prefer to use a different set of blades." He wiggled his fingers pointedly before making a clawing motion.

The convict gave a deep rueful laugh. "Come on," he encouraged. "I promise not to bite."

He shook his head, chuckling. "Pretty sure you should be more concerned of _my _bite, Riddick." All the same, he stood and accepted the blade. It was a feline claw, set into a simple wooden grip. "A man who likes irony," Johns noted.

Riddick grinned then. "Don't worry. It's a wild saber cat claw."

"No shifters harmed in the making of this blade," Johns intoned voice-over style, smirking as he gave it a test toss.

He knew Riddick moved without even having to see him, shedding to the side. Johns laughed, spinning around to try and connect, only to be blocked. They played like that for a while, going back and forth.

Eventually Johns slipped the blade between his index and middle finger like one of his actual claws, the handle resting into his palm. Riddick smirked at that, giving an approving nod. It evened things up a bit, Johns able to strike more how he wanted to, the same as he would in jaguar form.

Breathing heavier, the air around them thick with the smell of sweat, they ended up sprawled out on the floor when Johns had kicked out the man's legs, and Riddick had snagged his arm on the way down. The merc started to chuckle, and when he drew in more air it turned into a laugh. Riddick's deeper, almost growly, laughter accompanied it.

Johns reined himself in, sighing contently. He turned his head, looking over at Riddick. He met silver eyes and couldn't help but smile. Without even thinking about it, he leaned in, nose coming up underneath Riddick's chin. Johns ran it along his jaw and then up to his cheekbone.

The other man responded in kind, rubbing his nose and cheek up against Johns'. That reaction caused a purr to emerge. Riddick dipped his nose into the crook of the blonde's neck, taking a few deep inhales of his scent. His response was a deep rumbling sound of approval that touched a place deep inside Johns.

His feline side spurred him on. Rolling onto his side, he shifted towards Riddick. He didn't flinch as an arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him all the closer. They continued to lie there, mingling their scents. At one point, Johns' tongue lapped across the other's jaw, causing Riddick to run his nose along the blonde's cheekbone.

The shifter wasn't sure what they were doing, but he didn't dare complain- not that he wanted to.


	3. Chapter 3

"Lupus Five," Riddick mused, looking at the surroundings of the spaceport. "You must have some confidence that no one will recognize me to lemme run around in merc central."

Johns smirked at that, but shrugged. "As long as you're good and stay by me, I doubt there'll be a problem. 'Sides, no one else knows about your new eyes. And a big, muscled, bald guy? Yeah, nothin' generic about that description at all."

Riddick snorted at the assessment, but it was true. Hell, that probably described half the mercs in the hub of Lupus V.

He easily followed along beside Johns, trusting the merc to keep him out of any hot spots. The blonde seemed completely at ease wandering the streets that were clearly familiar to him. When they got into a more crowded area though, his smooth gate became agitated and Riddick could practically picture his ears and tail twitching if he would have been in his other form.

The convict brushed up against him, which didn't go unnoticed. It was like a static charge between them, and Riddick couldn't help but love the way it made him feel. When Johns bumped his forehead into the side of his own, Riddick smiled softly. So much was said in those small touches- comfort, trust, love.

_Love. _Riddick had never known the meaning of the word. His life had started violently, and that was how things continued to be. No one had ever taken the time to know him as a person, or even cared to. Johns was different. He treated him as an equal, a friend. The merc put more trust into him than he deserved.

Did he love Johns? He looked over at the blonde, noting how he had calmed. Johns glanced back, blue eyes catching his just right, and flashed a soft smile. Riddick felt a hand brush against his, and without even thinking, he took hold of it, fingers threading together. The slight blush of the shifter's cheeks was his reward.

Riddick knew his answer. Heaven help him, but he loved the guy.

* * *

In one of the city's cleaner bars, the pair sat in a back booth, able to keep an eye on all the exits. Neither of them had even said a word to the other, just naturally had gravitated towards the vantage point. Johns had to grin at that. It was nice having someone able to read his movements, understand his thinking. Outside of his father and the crew, he'd never experienced that before.

A couple beers in and he laid his head on the table, relaxing some. He was a bit surprised when a hand reached out, fingers threading into his hair as he was pet. Not that Johns was going to complain. It fed the feline side of him, which purred softly in contentment.

"So we meetin' your ol' man here or what?" the graveled voice inquired.

Johns frowned. He knew Riddick was listening into the conversation he had with his father once they'd landed. They were on their way to book their capture at Tangiers Penal, and agreed to head out towards Lupus next. He knew what his dad would expect him to do, and apparently Riddick was curious about it.

"You gonna go with 'im?" he continued.

Sighing heavily, Johns pulled himself off the table, instead leaning on his forearms to look at Riddick. He was able to pull his goggles up in the lower light of the bar, and his silver eyes glinted as they looked over him carefully. The merc could practically hear the man thinking.

"No," the merc finally answered, looking away.

"Why?"

"Cause I left his team for a reason, and that reason still stands. I'm my own man. My dad may not like it, but he'll accept it." He looked back to Riddick then. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you're not interested in joinin' a merc crew." It was a bold move on his part, but Johns knew they would have had to broach the subject sooner or later.

"You sayin' you want me to stick around there Johns?" His expression was carefully neutral.

Johns nodded. "If ya want, yeah." He stared into his beer bottle then as though it held all the answers. "Like havin' you around," he admitted, and then lowered his voice as he added, "Like _you._"

It was quiet for a while, and then Riddick shifted, fingers hooking under Johns' chin and forcing him to look up at him. "Like you too, Johns. And I wanna stay with ya. See where this goes."

Grinning softly, Johns nodded. He leaned forward across the table then, grabbing ahold of Riddick's collar and kissing him assuredly on the lips. Riddick didn't even hesitate to kiss him back, holding onto the scruff of his neck.

Johns hummed happily, feeling more full and complete than he ever had before. Riddick's presence had an overwhelming effect on him. Both he and his cat side were in agreement- he didn't just _like _Riddick, he figured he loved the crazy bastard.

Maybe his feline instincts hadn't been so wrong from the beginning after all. Maybe Riddick really was the mate he was searching for.

* * *

They were sharing a hotel room. After sharing a meager skiff for so long, the room seemed massive, as did the bed. They were going to get a double, but then Johns laughed at himself and shook his head, remembering they'd been sleeping on the same small cot now for days. So the Queen was plenty of room for them to stretch out.

Riddick was silently pleased about that. He'd grown accustomed to having his feline companion so close. He was always a loner, and had never let himself get close to anyone before. Something about the blonde was different though, and he found himself craving contact, enjoying being around the other man.

Likewise, Johns was content. He hadn't been able to say that for a long time. The shifter had been happy in the Marines, and yeah, he'd been happy with his dad's team for the most part. In all his years though he'd never felt _content, _at ease with where he was and who he was with.

Johns set his handgun on the nightstand, and hung his shotgun in its holster on the headboard bedpost. He pulled off his shirt, tossing it on the floor towards his duffle bag. With a full belly and some beer in him, Johns fell onto the bed, sighing happily.

Riddick chuckled, already having shed his goggles to the nightstand and his tank top. They had picked up some fresh clothes for him in Commercial City, which he was thankful for. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had new things. Even when they were new to _him, _the things he acquired were still used, abused, or just plain busted.

"Just need a saucer of milk there and you'll be a pretty happy kitty, hmm?" Riddick teased.

He was bent over at the waist, hovering over Johns who was looking at him upside down. He batted at Riddick for the comment, as though he were in his other form, a playful grin on his face. "You're an ass," he managed, though there wasn't any heat behind it.

"That I am," the convict replied, smirking. He smacked at Johns' flank then. "Now, get _your _ass over so I can lay down."

"Yeah, yeah." Johns wiggled to lie properly, feeling the bed dip beside him. He wasn't shy about his marking anymore, and Riddick didn't seem to mind appeasing his feline instincts. Johns leaned over without preamble, rubbing his nose under Riddick's jaw before going up and rubbing their cheeks together.

Riddick smiled softly at the now familiar gestures of affection. He allowed Johns to do his thing, even rubbing back. Dipping his head, Riddick's lips found the blonde's. Johns hummed into the kiss, making the convict grin even more. The convict felt a tongue swipe along his lip, which surprised him, but he wasn't about to deny the other man.

Tongues twined together and Johns felt his inner cat purring like crazy. _Home, _it said. _Happy. Mate. _As much as those thoughts pleased him, he had to hold them back. Riddick and he were something new. They were still feeling each other out, and it was far too soon to talk to the man about _mating. _Perhaps if Riddick were a shifter himself then it would be different.

When they pulled away, Riddick nuzzled along the merc's jaw, giving it lick. He was a quick study on shifter behavior, though most of it he pulled from some weird instinctual place inside of him. Johns gave a throaty, approving sound. "Night, Riddick," he whispered, before turning to lie on his side.

Riddick snuggled up behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist. Johns sighed contently, and the convict nuzzled into his curls, breath light on the back of his neck. "Night beautiful," he rumbled into his ear. The merc's reply was a slight head shake, but he wiggled back further into his embrace all the same.

* * *

He waited awhile until he felt the shifter's breathing even out. When Riddick knew the blonde was asleep, he slowly pulled away, rolling out of bed. He wandered over to the merc's bag, pulling out the mini-comp that Johns had brought along, which was linked into the ship's systems.

Riddick was a convict for a reason. Even if he was put into his first Slam framed so those in power wouldn't have their corrupt secrets exposed, he'd since become a killer. He was no murderer though- he never killed without reason. Not that it mattered in the eyes of the law. Or mercs. _Except maybe one._ He looked over at Johns, slumbering peacefully on the bed. Yeah, he was different.

It wasn't just killing Riddick was known for. No, he could also pilot- _Thank you Ranger training- _as well as hack most systems. He knew that a majority of people didn't think he was smart enough to do something like that, but after enough time around computer equipment and going in and out of Slams, he had learned things out of necessity. And there were plenty of pros in Slams willing to pass on the trade for favors.

Johns' mini-comp should have been no problem. However the merc had multiple firewalls and lines of encryptions to get through. It was maddening. Riddick cursed quietly as yet another attempt failed. If he wasn't careful, he was going to set off the protocols and get himself locked out completely.

It was probably a good hour before he was in, but when he cracked it he smirked in delight. "Still got it." He kicked his feet onto the small table, leaning back on two legs of the chair. The convict was privy to all of Johns' files- logs, skiff systems, communication networks.

"Bounty logs..." Riddick pulled up the folders, finding them all arranged in a very precise way, easy to find by either bounty or time. What he was mainly interested in was the logs regarding him. He rolled back to the merc's last bounty and went from there.

_Interim Log 1: I'm headed for Tangiers Penal Colony. It's home of the highest running bounties and some pretty fine spiced noodles. Doubt they have any leads that I don't already know, but hey, always good to stop in on the ones that take care o__f__ ya._

_Interim Log 2: Ha, who would have guessed? Got a transmission from Slam City. Seems they got a break out that no one can catch and they've requested me personally. Heh, well, well. Guess it don't matter much that I found nothing really worthy of my time at Tangiers now, does it?_

_Pursuit Log- Richard B. Riddick:_

_Riddick Log 1: Well, looks to be an interesting one. The infamous Richard B. Riddick. Know what they say 'bout him. That he can't be caught, that no Slam can hold 'im. Well, keeps endin' up in Slam somehow, now don't he? And what do I care if they can't keep 'im? I just deliver."_

_Riddick Log 2: Caught my first good lead. Time to get him in my sights and put my nose to work. I'm watching out for other mercs. I don't wanna play partners... one named Dresden._

_Riddick Log 3: Tracked him to a bombed-out mess of a planet. No Riddick here. Not no more._

_Riddick Log 4: Spotted him in a market on Aquila Major. Tried to hide in the crowd, thinkin' there's safety in numbers. Try it with a rookie next time, heh. Every rock has its scum and its scum have eyes. They also get greedy. Managed to get close. I've got his scent now. Time to play._

Riddick smirked at that. That was the first time he'd picked up that someone was on him. He thought he'd been crafty enough to escape completely unnoticed, but apparently his merc had gotten close enough to get what he needed most- his scent.

_Riddick Log 5: Been trailing behind Riddick for a while_. _His file's interestin'. A Ranger. A damn good one if his service record is any indication. Then all of a sudden he's thrown in Cold Storage? That Slam's for some of the shittiest filth in the verse, not for someone that did what he did. Guess he'd fit in now though with a body count like he's got. Plenty of mercs on this list. Can't say I care though. Mercs, convicts... they're all the same._

His brows furrowed at that. Johns had spoken before how he didn't care for mercs. Riddick had wondered what he had meant by that, and now he was even more curious. Eventually, he would have to broach the subject. The merc had already been so open with him about other things though, that it made him hesitate to push.

_Riddick Log 6: This is gonna be sketchy. My right hand's all busted. Cheap shot. Damn scum. Dead now though. Don't hit the cat on the nose if you don't want the claws. Now Riddick's gotten a little more time to put distance between us. Ah well, he can keep runnin'. He ain't gettin' away... It's lucky I don't die easy._

_Riddick Log 7: Bored as shit. Fuel line's down again and I'm waiting for repair. It's thick as thieves 'round here but no Riddick. Another day lost. Riddick's gotta be in the next system by now. Goddamnit. Seventeen for seventeen. He's not gonna be my first loss._

_Riddick Log 8:_ _On the lookout for Dresden- imitator, jackass. Tangiers poster boy this month, my ass. Thinks he knows how this shit gets done. Who's he ever busted, huh? I crap bigger than his last paycheck. He knows shit. He's not even close to the scent. _

Blinking at that, Riddick had to wonder who this Dresden guy was. Johns had mentioned him earlier in the logs. _Scent? Another shifter? _He shook his head at that. If that were the case, than the guy should have been able to find him, but he clearly hadn't. Riddick continued on in the entry and it only seemed to confirm just that- though it also gave him an interesting surprise.

_No, I'm the one with that scent in my head. Can't shake it. Smells... I dunno. There's dirt, and metal oil, and sweat, sure. But underneath that, the scent that's just Riddick... It's musky and primal, and so... Ah, fuck, I dunno. It's intoxicating... Shit, I gotta scrub these later. I'm blaming the damn booze I picked up on Sigma._

Johns found his scent intoxicating? There was something he would have never imagined. Riddick smirked a bit though. His nose had always been pretty damn good itself- though of course nothing like a shifter's. He had had plenty of time to get to know Johns' scent- fresh and clean, leather, gun powder, and a male aroma that was just him, along with something sweet that he couldn't place.

There were more logs, from when he was finally captured, and getting booked into Butcher Bay. There were some interesting things mentioned about Hoxie- though nothing of their past history, or why things were so hostile. He looked at the date of the next log, which was when he escaped. There was nothing mentioned about that though, just more choice words about Hoxie and how he was eighteen for eighteen on his bounties.

_Interim Log 1: Have a new... passenger. Interesting guy, I must say. Dunno how long he'll be taggin' along, but we'll see what happens._

_Interim Log 2: Was tryin' to figure out where to drop my new... friend. Decided he can decide for himself. Maybe he'll stick around. I know I wouldn't mind. It's been... nice... havin' someone around again._

_Interim Log 3: Well, looks like I'll probably wait for Dad on Lupus V. Wants me to go back with the team but, can't. Dunno why, I just... Ah, fuck it. I do know. It's my friend. Don't want 'im to go if I'm bein' honest, and if I go back with Dad, well, that'd be it. He'd be gone in the wind quicker than shit. Somethin' 'bout that... Well, just don't like the idea is all. Hell, I dunno that he'd even wanna stick around. Shouldn't count my chickens 'fore they're hatched and all that shit._

Riddick was torn at that confession. He didn't want to be the reason that Johns didn't return to working with his dad- even though he knew that the blonde would probably be uncertain anyway, given he and his father's differences. On the other hand though, Johns had already confessed how he wanted him to stick around, and Riddick couldn't deny that made him happy.

_That _thought took him by surprise. Then again, he'd been feeling weird things ever since the shifter had come along. The longer he was around, the more he just wanted to stay. As it was, he didn't want to let the blonde out of his sight, or even far from his side.

With that in mind, he stretched out, yawning. He would go back to bed. He could always look at more files at another time now that he'd cracked into it. Riddick returned the device before crawling into bed next to Johns. The blonde adjusted as Riddick snuggled up to his back, placing a kiss on his temple.

As he settled in, he was surprised to hear a soft chuckle. "Next time you wanna go browsing through my mini-comp," Johns said, "maybe you should just ask for the password." Riddick grunted, a bit sore that he'd been found out. "Was a good effort though," Johns continued, not hiding the laughter in his voice.

Riddick smacked his flank, satisfied at the tiny yelp it caused. "That was mean," he replied, attempting to sound stern. It didn't work though, as Johns continued to chuckle, craning his head around to run his nose along Riddick's jaw. Sighing, he continued, "Just go to sleep, Johns. Laugh at me in the mornin'."

* * *

A couple days passed by. The pair spent the days wandering around the capital of Lupus V, and their nights in bars. They were on their way to a place they had heard about that was supposed to be pretty nice, when Riddick broached a subject that had been bothering him.

"I'll pay you back for all this," he mentioned, not looking at the other man.

Johns glanced at him before shaking his head. "You don't owe me anything Riddick."

The convict looked over at him then, furrowing his brows. He was ashamed he hadn't thought of it sooner. When Johns had bought him clothes and supplies at Commercial City he should have. Since then, Johns had paid for everything they needed. It wasn't as though Riddick had any money- he rarely ever did since he didn't stick around places for long.

As good as Johns was at his job, he doubted the merc had money enough to keep covering him like he was. He stopped walking, causing the blonde to do the same. When he'd turned to gaze at him questioningly, Riddick said, "Don't like bein' dependent on anyone."

Johns nodded, understanding what he was talking about. "Don't worry 'bout it, a'right? I'm good with money, and I've got plenty of extra credits. It's fine." When Riddick opened his mouth to argue, he silenced him by stepping into his personal space. "Riddick, its _fine. _I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to." He gave that a moment to sink in. "Besides, when we get back out there, you'll be able to pull your own weight and help bring in the UD's."

He started walking off, hearing Riddick right behind him. The convict knocked his hip into him, and Johns gave a mock huff. Riddick smiled softly at that before asking, "So, you want me to be a merc?"

The shifter shook his head. "Hell no. You're too good for that. Nah, you'll be a... consultant."

"Uh huh. No muscle work?"

"S'ppose you can be my bodyguard," Johns joked. He certainly wasn't expecting Riddick to push him against a nearby wall, moving into his personal space. Blue eyes met silver and the merc found himself frozen to the spot.

Riddick dipped his head, running his nose along the blonde's jaw, nipping lightly at where it ended before licking the same spot. It was the first time he'd ever initiated in their little marking rituals. "I'll watch your six, Johns," he graveled into his ear. "You can count on me."

It was a big commitment on his part- he'd never wanted to rely on anyone before, much less have anyone relying on him. For Johns though, he wanted to do it. He wanted to stick by his side, because Riddick would know that the shifter was safe.

Johns wasn't sure how to reply, so instead he rubbed up against the other man. He knew Riddick understood his feline gestures. He wasn't sure _how _the convict knew, but he did. It was his own inner animal instincts it seemed, and Johns was glad he never had to explain himself.

The pair stayed like that for a few more minutes, feeling the heat from each other's bodies. They wanted to stay, that's all they knew. If they could stick together, it seemed as though the rest of it would figure itself out- which was fine by them.

* * *

**A/N: Some o****f those logs may have looked familiar. That's because I used bits and pieces from some of Johns' actual pursuit logs from the bonus features of Pitch Black. They're surprisingly slashy when you start looking at them more closely, haha. Obviously though there are ones I made up, and adjusted things to fit my verse.**


	4. Chapter 4

The bar was indeed nice- bigger than some others they'd been to. It even had good old fashioned pool tables. "Know how to play?" he inquired of his convict shadow- well, _ex-_convict he supposed, once Johns got the funds to buy off his bounty.

Riddick nodded, grabbing a beer at the bar. When Johns had his own in hand, Riddick steered him towards a free table with his hand on his lower back. The blonde didn't complain, nor did he when Riddick pressed against him while they played.

At one point, Riddick leaned over and bumped their foreheads together. It was the ultimate gesture of love in the feline world, and Johns seemed surprised by it at first. Then a soft smile spread on his face and he returned it before rubbing their heads together.

Riddick could hear the low purr, and he wrapped his arms around the merc, pulling him in close. He loved that sound. Even more, he loved the fact it was _him _that caused the shifter to make it.

"We need more beer," Johns mentioned, forcing himself to pull away. He was feeling so content in the other's arms. Part of him wondered if Riddick knew what he had admitted to with that simple head bump, but by the look in his silver eyes, he did. The man's instincts were nothing if not incredible.

On his way back with two more beers, a drunk ended up knocking into him. Johns didn't even have a chance to open his mouth before the guy spat out a typical "Watch where yer goin'" and stumbled up to the bar. Johns snorted, but didn't say a word.

Turning to join Riddick again, he found the drunk hadn't been alone. Three of his friends were blocking his path, and the merc scowled. "Problem?"

"Yeah," one managed, the alcohol on his breath making Johns' nose curl. "Ya owe Mac a 'pology."

"Your dumbass friend ran into me." Stubborn? Yes. Stupid? You bet. But he was an alpha male, and he couldn't help it sometimes. "So, nah."

When he went to pass though, they moved to block him. Their other friend realized what was going on and moved behind him. Apparently, that wasn't their only pals in there either. About half the people loitering at the bar stood up, eyeing the scene carefully.

Johns gave a huffing laugh, nodding his head as he looked at his feet. "I see... You get one chance. _Move_."

All it took was a twitch from one of them and it was on. Johns smashed the bottles across two of the nearest guys' faces. Then the man in front of him became acquainted with his boot straight to his groin. He spun next, nailing the instigator of everything straight to the face.

He felt a body press against his back, the scent of Riddick filling his nose. "Can't stay outta trouble, hmm Blondie?" Johns barked out a laugh before more of the patrons decided to turn on them.

The pair moved as one, never straying far from the other, and not letting anyone get behind them. It was as though they had always fought together, like they hadn't just met a couple weeks before. They could sense each other, just as well as they could hear and smell the other.

When the brawl was over, and all was said and done, they stood there in the middle of a lot of knocked out guys, and others who were groaning on the ground crying out their surrender. Neither of them had even broken a sweat, and their slightly heavier breathing was due more to an adrenaline dump than exertion.

They looked at each other, silver eyes meeting blown-out blue. Riddick scented the air, picking up on the hint of arousal. Seeing what Riddick was doing, Johns couldn't help but mimic the gesture, his eyes dilating even more in response to what he smelled.

Riddick rumbled low from his gut, moving in until they were touching. Johns' nostrils flared, taking in more of the scent, a throaty, wanting sound coming out before he could stop it. "Hotel," Riddick growled out. "_Now_." Johns smirked, not willing to argue that in the least.

It was just as well that their hotel was only a block away; otherwise one of them was liable to push the other into a random alleyway. As it was, they were practically running down the hall to their room when they got there. The door had barely shut behind them when they ended up all over the other.

Their lips connected and it was all heat and teeth and filled with abandon. They ripped at the other's clothes, running on pure instinct and want. It wasn't until they were in a tangle of limbs, naked on the bed, that it seemed that their situation caught up to their brains.

"You've done this before, right?" Riddick asked, hovering over the shifter. The blonde snorted and gave him a sarcastic expression. Before he could reply, the convict clarified, "With another guy."

"Riddick, I was in the marines," he replied bluntly, as though it was supposed to explain all- which to Riddick it did. He'd been there, done that. There may have been females in the military, but they were fewer and further between than their male counterparts, and they were always separated on base. Picking up a male partner just wasn't anything unusual- you took what you could get.

"Bottom? Top?"

"Both." Riddick smirked at that. Johns wasn't about to pretend he didn't enjoy receiving as much as giving when it came to sex and a good partner. "Been a while though."

"You and me both," Riddick grunted.

He rarely took lovers while inside a Slam- he wasn't about to force himself on anyone, or let someone be stupid enough to try and take him unwillingly- and most of his sexual encounters as of late had been in various houses of ill repute. None of them were ever about love, only sating a natural need. This time would be different.

His hands had never stopped exploring Johns' body as they talked and he wrapped one around his shaft, giving an experimental tug. He enjoyed the high-pitched whine he pulled from the shifter, licking his lips. "Wanna be inside you," he spoke, voice dropping even lower and more husky than usual.

Johns groaned loudly, the sound of the other's voice sending a tremor down his spine. Nodding, the blonde gave the go ahead. "I think there might be… something in my bag…" he managed, reveling in the sensations of Riddick's hands all over him.

The convict got up, quickly going through the large military duffle. He was aching, and wanted to speed things along, but he forced himself to rein those urges in, knowing Johns could be hurt if he didn't take the time to prep him properly. And that was something he would _not _allow.

There was no traditional lube, but he did find a small bottle of gun oil. It would work in a pinch. Making a mental note to go to the store and buy _proper _lube, Riddick climbed back into bed, already squeezing some of the liquid on his fingers. As he pressed a digit inside of Johns without any warning, the blonde made a surprised noise that turned into a throaty groan. Riddick decided _multiple _tubes may have been in order.

"Damn, Johns," he breathed, feeling the muscles clenching around his finger.

"Said it's been awhile," Johns managed, trying to get himself back under control, otherwise things were going to be over a lot sooner than he wanted it to be. His member was already leaking pre-come, and he cursed softly as Riddick licked it off. With the distraction though, he managed to slip in another finger and the shifter squirmed in pleasure as he continued to be stretched. "Riddick… please. Need you in me."

He swallowed a moan, extremely turned on by the blonde's dirty mouth. "Don't wanna hurt you," the convict noted.

Johns pushed against his fingers, causing them both to moan softly. "You won't." When Riddick still hesitated, the shifter growled out, "_Now _Riddick."

Not one to disobey a direct order of that nature, Riddick withdrew his fingers, lining himself up to Johns' entrance. When he pushed inside, the tight heat enveloped him and he groaned, pushing in ever so slowly. Johns growled, which turned into a whimper as Riddick bottomed out. They stayed still, both breathing heavy, and the convict asked, "You a'right?"

Johns nodded, eyes connecting with his, and there was no missing the fact most of the beautiful blue had disappeared. He watched as the pupils shifted, slitting into a cat's eyes, and then back again. The fact he could be causing the shifter to lose that much control only heightened Riddick's lust and he began to move at a punishing pace.

The merc took it all, throwing his head back and groaning loudly. Riddick bent down, teeth finding the exposed skin of his throat. Making a wanting noise, Johns writhed under him. Their lips met in a sloppy kiss, more tongue than anything, and the blonde canted his hips, pushing back harder against his lover.

Riddick growled, possessively sucking marks into the skin of his chest and neck, leaving love bites along his collarbone. Johns returned the favor, and the convict could feel the knick of slightly sharper than usual canines. It only served to feed more into Riddick's animal side, moaning and growling, wanting _more_.

Riddick thrust deeper, relishing the noises he pulled from the blonde. He moved back onto his haunches, adjusting Johns' hips to change the angle. When the shifter gasped, Riddick grinned ferally, knowing he had just found the other's prostate. He drew almost all the way out before slamming back in, tagging the same spot.

It didn't take long to turn the merc into a squirming mess, meeting every thrust with a breathy gasp, and reduced to begging. "Come with me, Johns," he growled, nails digging into the blonde's hips. As his teeth latched onto Johns' shoulder, the shifter cried out and came, muscles clenching against Riddick and pulling him over with him.

Breathing heavily, they stayed tangled together for a couple minutes until Riddick pulled out, rolling off next to Johns. Somehow he managed to get up and grab a wet cloth from the bathroom. He wiped off Johns' abdomen, being gentle as he cleaned between his legs. Tossing the cloth haphazardly towards the shower, Riddick climbed back into bed, snuggling up to the merc.

"Mmm," Johns spoke breathily, "next time you bottom."

Smirking, he replied, "I think that can be arranged." Riddick wasn't one to deny himself after all, and he could only imagine what sex on the other end of the firecracker blonde would be like. The fact that there would be a _next time _was good enough for him, and he sighed in contentment.

Riddick laid there, a strong body pulled tight to his own. He had never felt so fulfilled before. His fingers thread into blonde curls, petting the man in his arms. Johns responded by squirming a bit before accepting it, pressing closer.

A loud purr vibrated through his chest, and Johns could have cared less. He was happy and sated, but he was feeling so much more than that. He felt connected to Riddick in a way that he couldn't even describe and never would have imagined.

No words were said between them- there didn't need to be any.

* * *

The morning after, Riddick was surprised to find a jaguar pacing through the room. He sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Johns?" he questioned, pulling the cat's attention to him. "What's wrong?"

Taking an effortless leap onto the bed, the feline looked at him evenly, blue-grey eyes flashing distress. "Hey," Riddick continued, reaching a hand out. The cat pressed his head into the man's hand, and Riddick gave him a tentative scratch. "It's ok, beautiful," he murmured.

Naturally, Johns heard him loud and clear, and gave a feline smirk. He moved into Riddick's personal space then, rubbing up against him and purring. He felt the convict pushing back and couldn't help the long, wet lick he gave up his jawline.

"Better?" Riddick questioned, the hint of laughter to his voice. The cat gave a curt nod. "So, what's eating you?"

He gave a huffing sigh before turning back into his human form. "Just thinkin'."

"'Bout?"

"Last night," he admitted.

Riddick nodded in understanding. "Not regrettin' it are ya?" He desperately hoped that wasn't the case.

Johns shook his head. "No." He bit his lip. "Wouldn't mind it happening again actually," he ended up confessing.

Smiling softly, Riddick replied, "Guess we're in agreement then." He leaned in, running his nose along the shifter's neck to take in a good long inhale. "So what's the problem?"

Johns rubbed their heads together and sighed. "Not sure where to go from here." He knew what his feline side wanted- hell, his human side wanted it to. He wanted Riddick as his mate, but admitting it aloud was hard to do- especially when he couldn't be sure that the other man felt the same, or even would fully understand what something like that entailed.

It was weird to be so sure of the fact that this was his mate. His father had always said he would know, but he figured it was simply one of those typical parental lines and had never put much stock in it. Johns figured he owed his dad some kind of apology for that one.

"We'll just take it a day at a time," Riddick replied. He really wanted to say that he had already staked his claim on the shifter, that Johns was his. He didn't know where that thought came from, but he knew that's what last night had been. He was hooked now.

"Sooo, what?" Johns ventured. "We're dating now?" That's how non-shifter relationships worked, right?

Riddick gave a barking laugh at that. It was said with such innocence that it was hard not to. However, it was also spoken with sincerity. Johns wanted this- wanted _him- _and Riddick wasn't about to turn that down. "Yeah," he replied. "Guess we are."

Smiling softly, Johns let the other man lean in and place a kiss on his lips. It was surprisingly gentle, and soon the shifter let himself get lost in its intoxicating whims. He pressed into the strong body beside him, a rumbling sound of approval traveling through both of them.

Their touches were filled with desires and promises. Neither of them were really the type to believe in fate, but what else could they call it with how they had managed to come together?

* * *

"Turnin' and burnin'," Boss said, speaking with his son via video chat. "We'll be there soon. I figured we could check in on the Guild while we're there." When Johns snorted, he smirked. "But I figured you wouldn't be interested so Dahl and I will go without you. Though I'll make sure to tell them you said hi," he added with a smirk.

"Yeah. Great," the blonde deadpanned. He was leaning against the headboard, talking on his mini-comp while Riddick was in the shower. They were going out again that night- not that there was much else to do. Well, there were their newest sexual activities, which Riddick had offered to stay in the room indefinitely for. That very thought made him blush, and he tried to hide it from his father.

"So, bored yet?" Boss inquired. Johns raised a brow at him in silent question. "Well, you've been on constant move since you left the team. You've been sittin' planetside for a while now."

Johns shrugged casually. "Been around the old haunts here, goin' to bars and stuff." His attention was drawn to the bathroom door that opened, Riddick emerging with a towel wrapped around his waist.

"Got company?" Johns could hear the smirk before he even looked back at the screen. The blonde glowered at him. "Mmhmm, guess I know what the 'and stuff' part of that is."

"_Dad..._" He sighed heavily. "I'm not a kid y'know."

"Oh, I know. Just wonderin' when I'm getting grandkids."

Johns hissed, head falling into his hand. He could hear Riddick stifling a chuckle as he moved about getting dressed, and it took all Johns' control not to throw some choice words at the man. His father had been saying such things for years- honestly, he should have been used to it by then.

"Dad, not now." It sounded awful close to whining, he knew, but his dad laughed heartily.

"Sorry son," he managed. "We haven't talked in so long, you have to let me pick on you some."

"Yeah, yeah. Just wait till you get here. I still can give as good as I get."

"Oh, I'd be disappointed if you ever lost that edge of yours." He looked off towards the door to his cabin. "So, am I gonna meet this special someone when I get there?"

"Jesus, Dad," he hissed.

Riddick did chuckle then and clearly his father's keen ears picked it up because he tilted his head and murmured, "Interesting." Johns had a sour look on his face. "Anything serious?"

Johns chewed on the inside of his cheek, looking to Riddick then. The convict smiled over at him and gave a shrug, telling him without words that he didn't care if Boss found out. It had been a couple days since they'd agreed to date, but it was still a new concept to the shifter.

"We're dating," he replied.

"And his name would be?"

Johns knew he had to tread carefully here, so he settled for the truth- just not the full truth. "Richard."

"_Richard_...?" Boss drug out, digging for the rest of his name.

"Not happenin'," Johns replied. "You'll only do a full check on 'im and I don't need you scarin' 'im off."

Boss laughed heartily, and Riddick shook his head. Nothing was going to scare him off of his shifter now- not even the big, bad merc of a father.

"Guess I'll have to behave when we meet then," Boss replied.

"You better," Johns warned, though he was smiling. The way his father was looking at him, with those critical eyes like he was soaking everything about his son in, wasn't even enough to spoil the blonde's mood.

When his dad finished whatever assessment he was making, he smiled a knowing smile and nodded. "Talk to you soon, Billy. Look forward to see you _and _this new boyfriend of yours very soon."

Johns gave a dramatic eye roll but was still smiling. "Cya Dad." Once the mini-comp was set aside, the merc looked up to find Riddick grinning, leaning against the door. "What?"

Riddick only smiled wider, shaking his head. "Your Pops is gonna freak when he figures out who I am." Johns gave a noncommittal grunt at that, though the convict was most likely right. Still, he didn't figure his dad would skin him alive, only because as much as he may bitch him out on occasion, Boss pretty much gave into his son's every want in life.

"Come on," Johns replied. "I hear the bar callin' our name."

"Sounds good, beautiful." Riddick chuckled as the blonde scrunched his nose in mock protest. He knew better by then that Johns actually _did _like the little pet name he'd taken to calling him. If only the merc knew some of the _other _names he had swirling around in his head.

* * *

How did things end up this way? Getting jumped on a side street wasn't what Riddick had in mind for the evening. Having his plans interrupted- which included fucking his new boyfriend senseless- was making him rather... cranky. One moron with broken fingers already had _that _figured out.

"Do you have any fucking clue who I am?!" Johns growled out, and Riddick watched as his skin rippled, threatening to change.

The merc who seemed in charge of the ring of idiots who surrounded them had the nerve to sneer. "We know you pretty boy," he assured. "Doesn't mean you don't show guild loyalty like the rest of us."

"Seriously?!" Johns threw out. "Loyalty's _earned _you _dumb shit! _And _loyalty _doesn't include starting bar brawls with mercs outside the guild!" He spit on the ground at the punk's feet. "This is why I hate mercs," the shifter added under his breath, but Riddick had heard him- he finally understood Johns' venomous dislike of others in his profession then.

Most bounty hunters were nothing like his father, who had taught Johns to work by a code. They were ruthless, and a majority of the time they did things just as bad- if not _worse_- than any of the people they hunted. It was the same reason he didn't care for the guilds, allowing their members to get away with such actions. The fact guys like them were even allowed in Lupus Guild was enough to make Johns sick.

"Someone should teach you a lesson," the other merc continued. "Take you down a peg or two."

"Bring it!" Johns snarled out without thinking. He had thrown down the gauntlet and it was all over.

In a mad scramble of bodies, the half dozen mercs swarmed the pair. Johns wasn't worried in the least, knowing he was more than capable of taking on such an inexperienced group on his own. With Riddick, it would only make things easier.

When blades came out, Johns pulled his own k-bar knife hidden in his boot, killing one by shoving the blade straight into his throat, up into his skull. Another received a slash across his jugular, and no matter how much he clawed at the wound, trying to stem the flow, there was no hope for him. He squared up to the leader, ready to enjoy the ensuing fight.

Johns and the merc circled each other, gauging the right time to strike. The other merc struck out first, but the blonde easily shed to the side, slicing the man's flank. Spinning around in anger, the merc sucked in a sharp breath, eyes widening in surprise. He had been met by Johns' blade, straight between his ribs and into his heart. The blonde smirked, watching the other merc drop to the ground.

While Johns fought one group, Riddick had taken the other, a pair of his own shivs coming out to play. He toyed with them a bit before deciding they weren't worth his time and to end them quickly. He forced one into moving towards him, slipping under his arm and slicing him straight up the spine. The next that lunged at him was easily dispatched with a knife shoved straight into his eye socket.

Riddick spun around as the hair on the back of his neck stood up. His mouth dropped open, a cry of warning spilling out. Too little, too late.

His vision narrowed as things seemed to slow around him and the sound muted as though he were under water. Johns cried out and fell to his knees. Without even needing to think about it, the man behind the blonde went down with a thrown dagger in his chest.

Blinking, Johns was trying to remember to breathe. Crumpled on the ground, he could feel the wound oozing, but it didn't hurt. _Not yet, _his brain supplied. The adrenaline pumping through his system would fade though, and then, he knew he was in for it.

"Johns... Johns!" He could hear Riddick's voice, but his vision was starting to get hazy. A hand fell on his lower back, where he could feel the blood coming from, and he yelped as a searing pain shot through him. "Fuck! Hang in there, ok, Johns? I've got you."

"Ridd...ick..." he moaned out, fingers managing to grab his wrist. There was something there on the tip of his tongue, but he felt a wave of nausea pass over him and he became extremely dizzy.

"It's alright, baby," Riddick assured, though his voice was laced with worry. "I'll get you help."

As Riddick hauled the injured man up, Johns slumped against him, losing consciousness from the pain.


	5. Chapter 5

He woke up after surgery to a private room. The stink of antiseptic was the first thing to hit his nose and he groaned. A man was hovering over him instantly- Riddick. "You ok?" His silver eyes were looking over him feverishly. Johns opened his mouth to reply, but it was so dry the only thing that would come out was a whine. That made the other frown. "I'm here, Johns. You're a'right now."

Seeming to understand his problem, Riddick reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the cup of water, sticking the straw into the blonde's mouth so he could drink. "You know where you're at?" he inquired and Johns nodded his head, still drinking. Riddick had to force him to stop so he wouldn't get nauseous. "Better?"

"Yeah." His voice came out rough, but it was better than nothing. Johns reached out his hand, grabbing onto his boyfriend's.

Riddick couldn't help but smile at the simple gesture, leaning in to give him a soft kiss on the lips. "Was so worried about you," he admitted. "You lost so much blood, and…" He sighed, shaking his head. "Just glad you're alright now."

"I'm afraid Mr. Johns is not quite out of the woods yet Mr. Dresden," the doctor spoke as he walked into the room. Johns raised a brow to the false name but let it slide given the circumstances.

"What d'ya mean?" Riddick demanded, a slight growl in his voice.

"There was only so much we were able to do in surgery," the man admitted. He walked over to the bed, checking Johns' vitals as he asked, "Do you remember what happened?"

"Got jumped," Johns replied after wetting his lips. "Was stabbed."

The doctor nodded. "When you came in, the blade was still in your back. Thankfully your partner here didn't pull it out."

"So close to the sweet spot?" Riddick mused. "The abdominal aorta? That's a gusher." He shook his head. "Nah, I ain't that stupid." He looked to Johns then, frowning. "You came this close to death out there. The bastard was off only a little."

The doctor seemed impressed by Riddick's knowledge, but then, he didn't know the man's previous profession. "Correct. In surgery we're able to combat blood loss with transfusions and repair the damage. In your case however…" He frowned deeply then. "Part of the knife, its sitting right next to your spine. I'm sorry, but… we couldn't take that part out."

"What?!" the pair demanded simultaneously.

The doctor sighed then. "As I said, the position of the blade… It was thrust at a downward angle, just missing the abdominal aorta, but it angled in towards your spine. Once again, you were lucky, as it could have easily severed the cord. As it is though… It is in too precarious of a position for us to chance removing it."

Both men sat there in stunned silence, processing what the doctor was trying to tell them. "You mean to tell me," Johns spoke up finally, "that I'm _stuck _with this fucking _shiv _in my back forever?" His voice had grown louder in volume as he spoke, but it was undercut with a dangerous tone- a feral one.

Once again, the doctor sighed. "I can't say for certain, but… There's a surgeon in New Mecca, on Helion Prime. He is a leader in the field and works with special high-risk cases. He may be able to help you, though I can't guarantee it. I've already placed a call into his office. When he gets back with me, I'll let you know." He checked over the IV bag hanging on the stand by the bed. "Until then, we'll do what we can to control the pain with medication. Unfortunately, it's the best we can do."

The doctor left them without much more said, promising to check on them soon, with or without news from Helion. The pair looked at each other, Riddick frowning deeply at the distressed expression on the blonde's face. "I can't believe this," Johns breathed. "This can't be happening."

Riddick sat on the edge of the bed, arm falling across the shifter's waist. His free hand came up, brushing away the tear that had found its way from sad blue eyes. "Hey," he whispered, drawing Johns' attention. "Whatever happens, I'm here. We'll get you to Helion and get you fixed up, alright?" When Johns nodded, he added, "I won't leave your side. Promise."

* * *

Keeping his word, Riddick never left the room. It didn't take much prodding to get Johns to go to sleep. The morphine they were pumping into him was making him very tired, and with Riddick holding his hand, the shifter drifted off easily.

The convict had been half asleep in the chair himself when the doctor had popped in. The specialist on Helion had called and after receiving the data stream on all the scans, he agreed to see Johns. However, they would have to move quickly. The longer Johns took to get there, the more problems could arise.

That was how Riddick found himself laying his upper body on the bed, head on the merc's thigh, as he sat in the chair. He was deep in thought, not even aware that Johns had woken up until said man moved to sit up more. Hissing as a shot of pain flared through his lower back, Riddick was out of the chair and hovering over him immediately.

"Relax," Riddick ordered. "Don't try to move too much, ok?"

Johns half snorted, half laughed. "Riddick, you're talking to a shifter _and _a merc. I wouldn't know how to sit still if my life depended on it."

"Yeah, well. Not much moving you can do in the near future," Riddick replied. "And no shifting either." Johns frowned, not having even thought of that. "Doctor's orders," he added.

"You told them?" the blonde asked quietly. It wasn't as though he were ashamed of the fact, or tried to hide it. Still, keeping that under wraps just made things easier on him. His dad had taught him that.

Nodding, he replied, "Thought it was something they should know, case it made any difference, y'know?" He paused. "'Sides, they got that whole patient confidentiality bullshit, so…"

Johns nodded. "S'ok, babe. Not mad about it or anything. Actually was pretty smart of you," he admitted.

"Sometimes I get lucky," he remarked, happy to see Johns' responding smile. He held the glass of water for him again, letting him know the doctor had been in.

"Yeah? Any news?" Once Riddick repeated everything, Johns chewed on his lower lip. "So, how fast does this guy expect us to get there?"

"As soon as possible. Doc's already looking for suitable transport for us."

"What's wrong with my ship? You can pilot."

"Too long of a trip for that little puddle-jumper to do in a straight shot. We need something bigger."

"My dad's cruiser could- Oh fuck! My dad!" Johns looked around frantically. "Where's my mini-comp? I have to call my dad."

"Johns! Breathe!" Riddick grabbed his shoulders, waiting for the shifter to relax. When his blue eyes met his, he was taking a deep breath and nodding. "A couple more minutes to have things figured out beforehand ain't gonna hurt, ok?" Johns gave a quick nod and the convict released him.

Once it was clear Johns was settled, Riddick replied to his suggestion. "Your dad ain't gonna get here for another two or three days at best. Doc seems to wanna ship us out today if possible."

"So soon?" Riddick nodded. The blonde worried his lower lip, realizing just how serious the situation must have been if his partner didn't think the doctor would be willing to let them wait just a couple extra days.

While he'd been deep in thought, he hadn't noticed Riddick moving. Something was pressed into his hands, and he looked down to find his mini-comp. "Now, call your dad. I'll go get our stuff from the hotel and pick up a few supplies. You want anything?" Johns shook his head. "Need me to stay?" he asked more softly, nodding towards the device in his hands.

"Oh, believe me," Johns replied with a slight smirk, "it won't be _me _who has to worry about anything. It'll be Lupus Guild that should be quaking about now."

Riddick gave a feral grin. "Think your Pops and I might get along after all, Billy Badass." Riddick left the room with a litany of curses following behind him. The convict had plenty more where that came from. Johns was just going to have to get used to it.

* * *

The video call rang for quite a while, and Johns almost thought that his father wasn't going to pick up. Then his face popped onto the screen. "Hey, Billy!" he greeted warmly. "Sorry, was up on the flight deck. What's up?"

"Hey Dad," he replied softly, and he watched the man's face fall.

"What's wrong?" he asked, immediately knowing the tone to his son's voice.

Johns heaved a heavy sigh, knowing it was best to just come out with it. "I'm in the hospital." Sure enough his father immediately went on to ask ten questions at once, only stopping once Johns had said "Dad" at least as many times. "Sheesh. Look, I'm fine, alright?" Half-truth, _and _he was called on it.

He explained to his father what had happened, and to his credit Boss remained silent. Though between that, and the ever-hardening expression on his face, it did _not _bode well for Lupus Guild. What really sealed their fate, and broke his father's legendary cool, was when Johns told him how they had to leave- immediately- and the reason for doing so.

"Billy…" His father was in a bind, wanting _so _much to be there for him, to help him. Boss had _always _been there for Johns, whatever he had needed. Now that he couldn't be, it was killing him, and the blonde could see that plain as day.

"Won't be alone, Dad," he reminded him. "Richard's coming with me. He'll make sure I get there."

Boss' mouth drew into a tight line. "Where is this boyfriend of yours? I'd very much like to talk with him."

"_Dad,_" Johns warned, "it wasn't his fault."

"I know that. If anything I should thank him." He grunted, looking away from the screen then. "Still, I wanna make sure he takes care of my boy."

"He will Dad," Johns assured. He felt like arguing that he could take care of himself- that he wasn't a child- but it was a moot point. Not only was he injured, but he'd gotten himself into the mess to begin with by not doing just that.

Before they could continue, Johns picked up a commotion in the hallway. He could hear Riddick's voice, obviously angry, but he couldn't make out the exact words. "Dad, I'll call you back later. I think the Doc's coming back. I'll let you know what the flight info is, ok?"

Boss begrudgingly agreed. "Love you, Billy. Get some rest, alright?"

Johns smiled softly. "Love you too, Dad."

He put the mini-comp onto his stand, noting that the discussion had drawn closer to the room. He was able to hear Riddick clearly then, and there was a growl behind his words. "I said no! Now get lost!"

"And once again Mr. Dresden, I don't rightfully _care _what it is you say. Johns needs debriefed and we're going to speak with him."

Riddick was blocking the doorway then, and Johns could see the two men he was stopping from coming in. They were both on the board of Lupus Guild. "So, news travels fast I see," Johns spoke dryly, drawing everyone's attention.

"Tell these asshats to go fuck themselves," Riddick snarled, bristling as one tried to push past him. The convict was ready to snap their necks.

"I wouldn't push 'im, Kratos," the blonde spoke. "As for a debrief, how's this? Go fuck yourself!"

Riddick was grinning then, showing his teeth, satisfied, though anything but friendly. "There you have it. Now _scram._"

Kratos snorted, backing away from what he clearly saw was a volatile situation. Xander had never been quite as smart though, glaring at Johns. "You killed a half dozen of our mercs." He sneered at Riddick. "And your _friend_ here probably helped. I'd say that means you can _make _the time to tell us just what the hell went on."

Riddick growled low in his throat, teeth bared and ready to attack. He wanted to kill every last one of these Lupus bastards for what happened to his lover. The only thing stopping him was Johns, who started to laugh.

"You really think I give a shit what you have to say?" he inquired, still laughing. "I've never once listened to a word any of you have ever said, and I'm even less inclined to at this fucking moment, thanks." He picked up the mini-comp, waving it around. "If I were you, I'd be more concerned 'bout the fact I just got off vidchat with my father, and knowing him, he's on a call with Damas as we speak." At the mention of the guild leader's name, the pair froze.

"Hell," he continued, "knowing him he's got Lupus Authority on the line too," he spoke of the local law enforcement. Like many places, the locals didn't tend to get on well with mercs. Despite the Authority's more laid-back attitude towards the local merc guild, they would certainly have something to say about infighting spilling into their streets.

"Oh." Johns mimicked his boyfriend's feral grin. "And when you scamper back to Damas with your tails between your legs, make sure you tell the board that I'm gonna need compensation for my medical and transport fees. Direct deposit into my account… by tomorrow if it's not too much trouble."

Riddick snickered at that, causing both men to take a step back without realizing it. "_Now_," the convict growled out. Just like that, Xander and Kratos were in the wind, and Riddick snorted with disgust. "Kill every last one of those fuckers," he grumbled, coming into the room and dropping the large military duffle of their belongings at the foot of the bed, along with his weapons' case that he clearly retrieved from the skiff.

"As tempting as that sounds," Johns commented, "I'm pretty sure gettin' thrown in Slam would delay our fun little trip."

Riddick snorted at that, plopping back into his chair. "Tried to stop 'em soon as I heard 'em askin' which room you were in at the nurses' station." There was a rumbling sound forming deep in his chest. "Pricks. Had no business comin' here like that. You ain't in any shape to be dealin' with them."

"_Please,_" Johns scoffed, rolling his eyes. "They're small time. I can handle them with no problem." There was a pause before he asked without thinking, "Why are you so worried about me?"

"Cause I love you, moron!" Riddick blurted out.

The convict looked just as surprised as Johns by such a confession. Riddick bit his lower lip, eyes darting away quickly. The blonde's jaw had gone slack, but he snapped it shut when Riddick broke eye contact. He was stunned, yet at the same time, he felt a warmth stir in his chest.

Eventually Johns let out a short laugh that drew the other man's attention. There was a smile playing on his lips when his blue eyes danced up to meet Riddick's. "Love you too... idiot."

There was a couple beats before they both burst out laughing. The absurdity of it all was just too much. When they finally reined themselves in, they were smiling at each other- open and honest. Riddick reached out, laying his hand in the shifter's, who grabbed hold of it confidently in return.

"Yeah?" the convict inquired of the cat's own confession.

Johns nodded then, giving his hand a squeeze. "Yeah, Riddick."

* * *

The _Hunter-Gratzner. _It wasn't the type of craft Riddick had expected for them to get booked on. He had figured a passenger transport, not a cargo one with one compartment of passenger cryo lockers. Cryo. It made Riddick bulk but they didn't have much of a choice- a straight trip of this length required it.

Johns sighed heavily, apparently not liking the idea either. He was sitting in a wheelchair, Riddick pushing him along. The doctor was talking to the Captain about the arrangements that had been made for Johns and his special needs. They wandered off together to prepare the cryo unit he would be in, leaving the pair on the docking platform.

"Hate cryo," Johns grumbled. "Never go all the way under." Whereas a normal person would be out completely, and it would be a blink for them until they started to wake at their destination, Johns' shifter nature prevented it. His animal side stayed awake, so he was always hinged on the edge of consciousness. It was a weird state to be in.

"Me either," Riddick admitted, which surprised the merc.

"Why?" The convict shrugged. He had never known the answer to that himself. All he knew was that part of his brain didn't shut off, and he'd float in a haze- still thinking, sometimes even dreaming. "You're not part shifter by chance, are you?"

Riddick blinked at that. He'd never considered that before. "Can't say. Was an orphan, remember?"

Johns frowned, reaching across his chest to grab the hand that was settled on his shoulder. Perhaps that explained a lot then- why Riddick had such an animal quality to him, and why his jaguar had pegged him so early on. It was possible that a shifter mating with a human could produce a shifter child, but it was more likely that the child wouldn't be able to take a second form.

"S'ok, beautiful," Riddick murmured, placing a kiss on the top of his head. "Least you won't be in any pain if this thing Doc's settin' up works right."

Johns didn't reply, tilting his head back to nuzzle Riddick's throat. He had a brief thought that perhaps it was the morphine doing this to him, but he knew better. The shifter had fallen for Riddick after that first play fight on his skiff. It would do him good just to let it happen rather than worrying about the consequences.

* * *

The cabin swaying was the first tell of something wrong. Riddick grunted, looking across the aisle at Johns in his own compartment. The blonde was really out of it, head lolling back and forth with the movement. The addition of the regulated morphine hits was putting him further under than cryo would alone. While Riddick had initially thought that to be a good thing, if something was going down, then it just became a liability.

Sure enough, his ears pricked up when he heard the rivets in the side of the ship start to fly out, sending them straight into a few compartments. He heard a heart monitor flat-line and only two compartments depressurize. _One crew member down, _he thought.

As the crew scrambled to the cockpit, Riddick could hear as much as feel the cryo systems going into reverse. As his senses started coming back, there were a few jettisons of the cargo units, and he could hear the yelling in the front. They were on a collision course.

_Damnit, _Riddick growled, willing himself to wake up enough to get moving. He heard the cabin airlocks snap into place and bristled. _They wouldn't. _They were going to blow the passenger cabin!

Just then, Johns started to stir, his eyes fluttering open to find Riddick. He was clearly still out of it and the look of vulnerability on his face hit Riddick like a ton of bricks. It kicked his brain into gear and the convict pulled the emergency release on his locker, tumbling straight out onto the grated deck.

At the same time, the cabin door was being forced open, and he could once again hear the goings-on inside. "I'm not gonna die for them!" a female shouted. Her pull on the purge handle though came up short, the door jammed.

"30 seconds Fry!" the male responded. "You still have 30 seconds to level this beast out!"

Riddick growled, coming to his feet. He had half a mind to dive through the gap in the cockpit door and bitchslap the woman out of the way. He could land anything that could fly, but there was no time. Rather he hit the outer emergency release on Johns' locker.

The convict pressed against the blonde, holding him close. "Riddick," he heard whispered into his ear.

"Got you, Johns," he rumbled in reply, holding him tightly.

When the ship hit, it did so _hard. _It jarred the pair, Johns yelping in pain. The blonde grabbed onto Riddick, arms wrapping around him as he buried his face into the other's neck. His brain wasn't fully with it yet, but his animal side was awake and growling.

He could hear the hull ripping apart, and clung to Riddick tighter, feeling the convict push against him more. It was painfully tight with the both of them shoved into the locker, and he could feel the debris whipping past them.

At one point the unit pulled loose, toppling them over. And then, all went black.


	6. Chapter 6

Johns coughed, which turned into a moan as pain racked his body. _What in the hell…? Where am I? _He was holding his head, trying to get his vision to focus. As he took in the twisted metal and sparking electrical systems around him, it all came flooding back.

The ship! They were crashing… and Riddick. Riddick had been shielding him. _Riddick! Where is he?!_

Looking around, he didn't see the other man. He could hear people starting to move about, talking and helping some of the others. However, he couldn't see Riddick. He sniffed at the air, trying to catch his scent as he crawled out of the tumbled cryo locker.

Pain flared in his back and he cried out despite himself. "Whoa, hey," a female voice spoke, quickly scurrying over to him. She crouched next to him, hands reaching out to steady him. "Take it easy. You hurt?" Her accent was thick and he looked up at her, trying to hide a grimace.

He saw she was rather pretty- solid built with curly brown locks and bright eyes. Johns scented the air instinctively, taking in her smell- leather, grease, oil, sweat. A prospector? Would make sense in a ghost lane like the one they'd been traveling.

Another scent tickled at his nose though and his head whipped around towards it. "Riddick!" he yelled. He would know that smell anywhere. Ignoring the protests of the female, he crawled on his hands and knees to the nearby rubble, pushing aside a few pieces of debris to find his boyfriend trapped underneath.

"Oh, shit… Riddick." He shook the man a bit, trying to wake him, but it was no use. He looked over his shoulder towards the woman. "Help me."

She gave a curt nod, coming to his aid. She picked up the remaining debris, holding it while Johns dragged the unconscious man free. The mess clattered back down to the floor and he sensed the woman hovering, but the merc was too focused on Riddick.

"Riddick," he whimpered, giving him another shake. "Riddick, come on. Wake up." When he didn't respond he growled, yelling out his name. "Riddick! Damnit! Don't do this to me!"

The man remained still and Johns felt his inner cat crying. The whine ended up coming through, and Johns nuzzled at Riddick's throat and jaw. "Please, Riddick," he whispered. "Please don't leave me." He started to whimper, unsure what he would do if his partner didn't wake.

It was then he felt a hand reach up and cup the back of his head. "Shh, beautiful," came a deep, rumbling voice. "Don't cry."

Johns pulled away quickly, looking down into flashing silver eyes. He beamed then, throwing himself on top of the convict and holding him tight. "Fuck," he breathed. "Thought I lost you."

"Still here, Johns."

"You a'right?" the woman asked, having stayed over them that whole time.

The pair looked up at her and Johns nodded. "Think for the most part, yeah. Thanks."

She nodded, and then looked up towards the cockpit area where it seemed the others were gathering. "Think we should go check things out," she mentioned, jerking her thumb that way.

"Right behind you," Riddick assured, already starting to get up. When she wandered away, he offered his hand to the shifter. As he pulled him to his feet, Riddick didn't miss the grimace. "Alright my ass," he mentioned. He hiked up the back of Johns' shirt, finding that he was still in one piece. "Damn lucky those stitches didn't come out."

Johns was too busy checking Riddick over. It looked like the deep gash on his forearm was the only injury he'd received. Before the convict could object, Johns' tongue swiped over the wound, cleaning and soothing it. Riddick breathed out, having to admit it felt good, carding his fingers through dirty blonde curls in thanks.

Once the shifter was satisfied the wound was clean enough, Riddick went rooting around in the cryo unit, yanking out the morphine injection system the doctor had rigged up. "We'll figure out how to get this shit in you later," he mentioned. For the moment, they needed to find out just how badly they were screwed.

Wandering into what was left of the cockpit, they found everyone deathly quiet. It didn't take much to see why. The male crew member was sitting on the floor, the female dead in his arms. Riddick couldn't find it in himself to be sympathetic though, not when he knew what she did. He didn't mean to snort however.

When Johns' gaze turned to him with a stern look, Riddick leaned down to whisper into his ear. He told the shifter what he'd overheard going on in the cockpit during the crash. "The bitch tried to blow the passenger hold. _He_ kept us alive." Blue eyes looked at him in shock before turning to the remaining crew member.

Johns then looked around at all the other survivors, Riddick doing the same. The woman from earlier, standing next to a man. Another male who had three young boys with him. And yet one final squirrely looking male standing off on his own. This was all that remained?

Clearly, none of them knew what to do, and no one was saying a word. Sighing, Johns stepped forward. "Well, don't everyone talk at once." He had their attention then, so he turned to the remaining crew member. "Clearly, this ship is fucked. What's the sit-rep?"

The man blinked, staring at him a moment before his brain kicked into gear. "Umm, the communication arrays went to shit on entry. I threw an S.O.S out, but…" If the arrays burnt up, the transmission may not have gone out- and being in a ghost lane like they were, the odds of it being heard were slim. "The rescue beacon may still be intact somewhere around here," he continued, starting to glance around.

Johns nodded. "Alright. You look for that. I'll go up top and take a look around."

"Not without me," Riddick grumbled, sidling up next to his boyfriend.

"I'll come too," the female added, the man with her begrudgingly doing the same.

As they went out the tail end of the wreckage, Johns squinted at the bright sun, noting how Riddick pulled on his goggles. As they were making their way around to the front so they could climb up for a better look, the woman started to speak. "Good work speaking up back there. Was hoping someone would say _something_. Else we were liable to stand around there all day."

The shifter shrugged. "Someone had to."

"I'm Shazza by the way," she continued. "This is Zeke."

"Johns," the blonde answered, jerking a finger towards his boyfriend. "Riddick."

"You're the mercs, aren't you?" Shazza asked. Johns raised a brow at her, and she smiled back at him. "I knew it. Zeke and I overheard the Captain telling the crew about you."

"Yeah?"

"Should you really be walking around?" she inquired.

"I'm fine," he grumbled, though he didn't miss the way that Riddick was watching him closely.

The view they had when they got onto the top of the crash ship wasn't comforting. There was nothing but desert as far as the eye could see, save for some odd rock formations, and the scored up earth and smoking wreckage from the crash landing. Johns' compass was even a complete bust, just spinning in circles. Although, that may have been caused by the strange configuration of _three _suns- a blue in one direction, and a red and yellow in the other.

"Plan?" Riddick questioned.

Johns had been sniffing the air, but all he had been getting was burning fuel and other odors associated with transport wrecks. "Got nothin'," he grunted in reply. He spotted the flipped container not too far away. "I'm hoping that's our shit though." He looked around saying, "Get our gear and start hiking. Pick a direction and go. Keep sweeping until we find something."

Shazza seemed to agree with that plan. "We'll need water soon. If that beacon's gone to shit or no one comes…" She frowned.

"Then we gotta find our own way outta the pisser," Zeke concluded, speaking for the first time.

"Yup," Johns dead-panned. After a moment he sighed. "Well, at least we've got our plan."

Just then the others came outside, having much the same reaction they had. "How's the beacon?" Johns called down to the surviving crew member.

"Beat up, but I think I can fix it," he replied, shielding his eyes as he looked up at them.

"I can help with that," Shazza replied, and then nodded towards the flipped container. "If that's our stuff in there, then I have my tools."

"Next stop…" The merc huffed, heading down to the earth again.

The others met up with them, and Johns quickly gave them the low down on the situation and the basic game plan- check out the container, find water, fix the beacon.

"Now, wait a minute," the one male spoke up. He adjusted his glasses nervously when everyone turned to him. "Who put you in charge?"

Johns raised a brow at him before spreading his arms out and looking around at the others. "Anyone else got any bright ideas?" When no one replied he asked, "No?" He looked at the man who'd protested. "Guess we're goin' with mine then."

He knocked into the guy's shoulder as he passed by, Riddick doing the same but harder. The merc knew the others were following behind. "You need to take it easy," Riddick mentioned, noting the way the blonde was already sweating.

"When we find my gear," Johns promised. Riddick would hold him to that.

* * *

Johns was seated in the shade of the wreck, Riddick at his side. The others were putting together breathers that they had found in the flipped container- the air on this damned planet was thin and slightly hard to breathe in. Well, all save for Shazza and the crewman- who they found out was the ship's Navigator, named Owens.

The pair was seated with them. Shazza had noticed Johns and Riddick trying to figure out the morphine unit and offered her assistance. As she was fiddling with that, Owens was staring at the emergency locator beacon lying on front of him. "Piece of shit," he muttered. "Send us out here with jack _squat _for back-ups in case of an emergency. Assholes."

Riddick smirked at that, liking the guy's attitude more and more. "You'll figure it out. If not…" He shrugged. "Well, the odds of anyone being out in a ghost lane aren't exactly that great anyway."

Owens nodded, heaving a sigh. Johns had been watching him for a while, and finally decided to say what was on his mind. "Thanks, by the way." The Navigator looked up at him. "You saved our lives."

The man's brows furrowed in confusion. "Fry was the pilot. She's the one that landed this beast, not me."

The merc wasn't about to beat around the bush though. "Yeah, but when she tried to purge the passenger hold, you stopped her." Owens froze. "So, thanks…"

Shazza was shocked, looking to the crewman for confirmation. His pained expression said it all though, and she reached out her hand and placed it on his forearm. When he looked up at her, she forced a slight smile, giving him a nod of thanks, before going back to work.

"There," she said, popping the unit open. "Damn, that's a lot of morphine." The reservoir was about half filled. "Well, this was set up to be shot into the cryo system, so there's no needles for you to…" She drifted off as Johns pulled a small pack from his duffle, opening it to reveal a pusher and a pack of sterilized needles. "Apparently your Doc knew how to be prepared."

Riddick motioned for the small inner container that contained the drugs, before setting a needle into the delivery system and drawing the proper dosage that he knew the doctor had set it to. "Arm," he said gently. He prepped Johns' arm, pushing the needle in as gently as possible to deliver the painkiller his boyfriend desperately needed.

Johns sighed gratefully as it started to kick in, laying his head on the convict's shoulder. "Thanks," he whispered. Riddick nuzzled into his hair in response.

"We are all ready," a voice spoke next to them, and they all looked up to find the Imam standing there. The man's three acolytes were standing next to Paris, the useless buffoon who had tried to challenge Johns earlier.

Zeke handed them each a breather for themselves, inquiring, "So, who's going on this water-hunting mission?"

Riddick stood. "I'll take a couple a ya with me. The rest stay here." When Johns tried to stand, a heavy hand stopped him. "I don't think so," the convict said. "You need to rest." He jerked his head towards the crewman. "Help Owens with the beacon." He knew the shifter was good with tech.

In his morphine-haze, the blonde actually pouted. "I don't want you going alone," he argued, grabbing onto his pant leg.

"I'll go with you," the Imam replied.

Riddick raised a brow at his boyfriend as though to say, "See? Not alone." The shifter snorted though, clearly not what he meant at all- he wanted to go with Riddick himself. "Alright. Paris," he growled out to the art dealer, "you watch the kids."

When he looked to Zeke, the dark man motioned towards the wreckage path. "Thought I'd bury the ones we found," Zeke spoke of the people who didn't survive the crash, whipped out of the cabin on impact.

"And you?" Riddick asked Shazza.

"I'll go with you if that's alright." She stood, dusting herself off. "Would do good to have more than just two people should we find any water." The prospector was good with machines, not with tech, so Riddick didn't see the need to keep her back to work on the beacon and nodded in agreement.

"Here," Johns insisted, holding the slide of his handgun to offer the weapon grip-side up to Riddick. "I know you have your blades, but…"

Riddick took it but shook his head. "I'll be fine. Here." He passed it to Zeke. "Two guns in camp's better than one." When the other prospector hesitated to take it, he asked, "You _do _know how to work that? Right?" Zeke nodded, racking the slide pointedly before hooking it into the belt at his back.

Crouching next to the blonde, Riddick leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "Rest. I'll be back soon, alright?"

Johns nodded, kissing him again. "Be safe." He didn't like that Riddick would be venturing off without him. Certainly he was more than capable of taking care of himself, but that didn't mean that it didn't pain the shifter somewhere inside that he was going to be away from his side. "Don't get lost, hm?"

Riddick cracked a lopsided grin. "I may not have as good a nose as you," he replied, poking him in the nose pointedly, "but it's still pretty damn good. And my sense of direction is perfect. We won't go far. Promise."

The blonde nodded, knowing Riddick would always keep his promises to him. "Holding you to that."

Watching his boyfriend walking off with the two strangers shouldn't have been as hard as it was. Johns felt his feline side whimper.

* * *

Riddick wasn't sure what they would find on their little trek, but it certainly wasn't _this- a_n abandoned settlement _and _a skiff. The emergency ship was in disrepair, though he was sure that he and Johns could fix it, not to mention whatever tinkering Shazza could do.

He'd learned some more about the petite woman at his side, and he had no doubt she'd be useful in a fight. She was a tough little cookie that didn't take any shit and did as she pleased, when she pleased. Admirable in anyone, though especially a woman. She and her long-time friend- and occasional love interest- Zeke were prospectors. She worked with equipment mostly, while Zeke did a lot of manual labor like mining.

The Imam, he was a completely different story. He didn't see the holy man being good for much of anything- other than perhaps as a voice of reason. With a steady head and a calm demeanor, Imam would most likely be the most use in tending to the kids and keeping Paris out of the way of the convict. Otherwise, the whining little art dealer was bound to meet one of his shivs.

"Think she'll fly?" Shazza inquired as she and Imam stood at the bottom of the skiff ramp.

Riddick shrugged. "The wings can be repaired, and nothin' looks deteriorated, but the cells are dry. We won't know the full condition 'til we can power 'er up."

"Can we convert the cells from the crash ship?"

He nodded. "I bet I could, yeah."

"So, say we get 'er flight worthy. Can Owens pilot?"

"Don't matter. Johns and I can both fly." Riddick passed them by, wanting to check out more of the settlement. "Don't stray outta hollerin' range." He wasn't exactly worried about himself- he had enough blades to kill a small army- but the other two only had some odd scythe type weapons that they had stolen from Paris' cargo of historical artifacts.

The pair went off in one direction, while Riddick scouted a couple buildings. There wasn't much of use to them, though he did find some interesting clues. Why were there so many personal belongings left behind? Everything in its place as though those that lived there just disappeared one day. Then there was the building labeled "Coring Room." _Miners? _The doors, however, had been locked… from the inside. Something felt _wrong _here.

As he was debating on how he was going to break in, he heard the Imam calling. When he joined them, he saw the reason for their excitement- a water system. It was a solar-powered device that, with a few adjustments from Shazza, was providing drinkable water to fill the containers they had brought with them.

"I'm thinking we should bring everyone out here," the woman commented. "This is much better shelter and we can work on that skiff easier. The crash ship isn't that far should we need something, or if that beacon actually _does _bring someone to help."

Riddick couldn't argue that. Though, she wasn't done. "Found an old sandcat too. I think I can get 'er running, but it'll take a while." There was a question in that, one for Riddick to decide- stay and get it working now, or huff it on foot to get back immediately.

"Everyone's gonna get worried if we don't start headin' back soon. It's an easy enough walk to get out here."

"And the powercells?" the Imam inquired.

"Will only need a couple to start. We can handle it." The cells would be heavy, but Riddick could easily take one on his own. Between the other men, they could double or even triple-team _one. _"Come on," he spoke, jerking his head to the side. "Hopefully they've got some good news for us 'bout that beacon when we get there."


	7. Chapter 7

Another quiet curse had Owens smirking. "Damn thing is out to get me," Johns grumbled. He'd been repairing the loose connections he'd found- swearing the beacon was archaic- and getting shocked in the process. "Piece of shit." He handed the repaired transmitter to the navigator. "If that don't work, I'm outta ideas."

"You and me both," Owens admitted. As he was refitting things together, he glanced over at the blonde a couple times. "So, how'd you get hurt?" he inquired. Thanks to Shazza, Johns knew the crew had been told they had a couple mercs on board, one of which was injured.

"Some other mercs," he ended up answering honestly. "If Riddick wasn't there…" He looked off towards the horizon reflexively.

"The two of you, uh…?" Johns looked over at the other man, noting the way his face suddenly turned red when he did. Owens quickly averted his gaze. "Sorry, not really my business."

"Dating? Yeah." He smiled softly, looking down at his hands. "Wouldn't mind makin' it a bit more permanent though."

"So tell 'im." Owens made it sound so simple. He supposed to a human, it was.

"It's complicated," he admitted.

Like all shapeshifters, Johns would mate for life. If their mate died, it was very rare they ever took on a new partner- though that companion could _never _be a second mate. It just didn't work that way. It wasn't a matter of law or tradition, it was just their make-up. Most humans couldn't understand that.

Despite how nice of a guy Owens was, the merc wasn't about to go and explain all that to him. He didn't need to go making things complicated around here. There was simply too much at stake to be worrying about things like explaining he was a shapeshifter to people.

At least the navigator had the sense to let it lie. Instead, he switched topics, and the pair ended up swapping stories. Owens told him about flight school and Johns told him how he used to be a Marine MP, and admitted to becoming a merc because his father was one. Owens thought that was pretty cool, and the man didn't seem to have the same preconceived notions about mercs that the majority of people had- then again, the majority would generally be correct in this instance.

"Ha! It works!" Owens exclaimed as the beacon powered up. He walked it over to a level area, planting it in the ground. "Now just to program the mayday, input the coordinates, annnd… done." With a press of a button, the distress beacon activated, starting to blink to show that it was transmitting. "Let's just hope someone hears that."

When Johns opened his mouth to reply, a scream suddenly pierced the air, followed by gunshots. It was coming from near the rock formations, where Zeke was working to bury the dead. Scrambling to his feet, Johns winced in pain, but he ignored it. He yelled for Paris and the kids to stay put, hearing Owens right on his tail as he ran for the sounds.

His shotgun bared, he pulled the tarp away that had been keeping most of the sun off the man while he worked, freezing at the sight before him. Blood scattered the area, and the scent of it was thick in his nose. "Oh my God," Owens breathed, gagging a bit.

The shifter's ears pricked and he narrowed his eyes, scooting closer towards the hole. He let his hearing reach out, and tried to pick up any smells other than the blood. He could hear something scurrying down there, deep in the darkness. He hated how his senses were dulled within his human form.

Before Johns could investigate further, he heard hollering and looked up to find Shazza and Riddick running straight for him, the Imam not far behind. "Johns!" his boyfriend growled out.

"Zeke," was all the merc said by way of explanation as they got there.

"What?!" Shazza started moving towards the hole, but Johns grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back.

"Stay away. There's somethin' down there." Riddick moved up next to him, clearly catching onto the same things he was. They moved closer to the hole, finding that Zeke had uncovered a shaft of some sort. As they peered into the darkness, the blonde's enhanced sight caught movement of something dashing across and jumped back.

"It's a tunnel network," Johns realized, looking at the odd mounds that were formed, twisting into the sky. "And whatever's down there is big."

"Zeke…" the woman began, but Riddick looked straight at her and shook his head.

"He's gone," the convict told her bluntly, and Johns could see her face scrunch in pain.

"You don't know that!" she argued, voice breaking as she was trying not to cry.

"Unfortunately," Johns replied, crinkling his nose, "I do." He could tell the woman wanted more of an explanation, but he didn't feel like giving her one. He only hoped she left it alone, though he doubted it.

"Let's get away from this hole," Riddick mentioned sensibly, ushering them all away. He and Johns shared a long look before trailing behind the others.

"I knew I could sense something off," the shifter mentioned, voice dropped low so only his partner could hear. "Kept hearing things, feeling these vibrations." He frowned. "They could be everywhere under us." What in the heck they were, he had no idea, nor did he want to find out.

"Might be what I was feeling in that town too," Riddick replied.

"Town?!"

"Don't get tooexcited, baby," he answered dryly. "It's abandoned. But there's good news at least." Riddick stopped, causing the blonde to do the same. "First thing's first though…" He wrapped an arm gingerly around the shifter's back, pulling him in. After placing a gentle kiss to Johns' lips he murmured, "Missed you."

Johns couldn't help but purr in reply, his cat-side so very pleased to hear that. He rubbed their heads together, swiping a quick lick along his jawbone, before reluctantly pulling away. "We'll have to save this for later," he whispered. "We've got stuff to talk 'bout first."

Grinning, Riddick replied, "Oh, I'm lookin' forward to this 'later' you speak of."

Johns swatted him on the butt, muttering "smartass" as he started to walk off. Riddick snagged his hand, pulling a grin from them both. Even in the face of everything they were going through, the fact they at least had each other was reason enough to smile.

* * *

The pair supposed they couldn't expect the others to be so unaffected by Zeke's sudden death as they were, especially Shazza. Sometimes it was hard to remember not everyone lived the type of lives they did. Death was their business for most of their adult lives, in one way or another.

So, given that, Johns may have seemed like an ass when he tried to get the group to refocus, but they were going to have to deal with it. He didn't mind playing the bad guy if it got shit done. That said he also wasn't a heartless bastard. He bent over to whisper into Shazza's ear, "Mourn later. Survive now."

She nodded her head, craning her neck to meet his gaze. Something in her eyes spoke of unasked questions, but there was also understanding. She was a tough woman. Perhaps if he hadn't already found his mate, she would have been the type of woman he could have seen himself dating.

And _that _line of thinking needed to stop _right there. _The last thing he needed to be doing was rehashing his feelings regarding Riddick. The mate dialogue could wait.

The merc leaned against the side of the wreckage, everyone gathering around to drink the water their little scouting team had returned with and listen to what they had found. "That's great!" Owens exclaimed, and he wasn't the only one excited about the possibility of self-rescue.

"Is it really smart to be leaving the beacon?" Paris inquired. It was a logical question of course, but coming from him, it made Johns bristle and he forced back a hiss.

"We'll be able to see if a ship comes," Shazza assured. "Besides, anyone that's gonna bother answering a distress call isn't gonna just leave if they don't find us immediately."

"Unless they're pirates," Riddick offered, though by the smirk on his face, the merc knew it was all to hassle the art dealer.

The Imam apparently had a sense of humor after all as he replied, "I do not think we would want to go with them at any rate, Mr. Riddick."

Johns snickered a bit at that, not missing the cutting look sent his way by the convict. "Well," the blonde offered, clapping his hands together, "what are we waitin' for? Let's get our shit and get outta here."

* * *

Riddick glanced over at Johns for what seemed to be the millionth time since they reached the settlement. The convict had wrangled his boyfriend, Owens, and Shazza into helping with the skiff, while the others were supposed to clean up the buildings enough so that they could sleep in shifts. At the moment, the prospector was repairing the wings, and Owens was busy checking over the systems.

The power conversion went easily enough between the two of them, and it was determined that four more cells from the crash ship would cover it. If Shazza could get the sandcat running, then the rest would be a piece of cake. Riddick was starting to think that this crazy endeavor might actually pay off.

At the moment though, he was more concerned about Johns. He was looking rather green around the gills, and he wasn't really focusing the whole time Riddick and Owens had been talking. "Johns? You ok?"

The merc nodded. "Think I just need some fresh air," he muttered, heading down the ramp. Riddick followed him with his eyes, frowning deeply.

Once outside, Johns squinted at the bright light. It seemed almost blinding as he held up his hand to shield his face. He was dripping sweat, and he could feel the back of his shirt clinging to his skin. It made him squirm, just wishing for a shower.

A wave of dizziness washed over him and he braced against the side of the skiff. The metal felt surprisingly cool against his skin, which probably wasn't the best sign given how it seemed the suns always shined on this planet. He tried taking a couple hits of oxygen from his breather, thinking the atmosphere was just getting to him, but it didn't seem to help.

Then the dry heaves started, and he was doubled over, hacking. His whole body started to shake, and pain flared in his back. It would figure Riddick would hear him, as he felt gentle hands supporting him. "Shh, it's ok," the man whispered in his ear. "I've got you, Johns."

As he was rubbing between the shifter's shoulder blades, he was frowning. Johns didn't look good at all, and he recognized the symptoms of someone purging drugs from their system. It wasn't a good sign that his body was reacting that way to the lack of morphine. Riddick was hoping it was the stress and their current environment causing complications, rather than a possible start of a dependency issue. That was the last thing Johns needed.

"We need to get you some more morphine," Riddick said instead. "Get inside and cool off."

Just then Shazza was climbing down, finished with the wing repairs. "Well, she's not pretty, but she should hold." She noticed their situation and frowned. "I saw Paris and Imam finished with that building over there already," she pointed out. "Why don't you take him to rest for a while? I'll let Owens know."

Riddick nodded his thanks, prodding Johns into moving. He wrapped an arm around his waist, supporting him, only pausing to grab their duffle bag as they headed towards the residential building. Going into one of the bedrooms, he sat Johns down on the bed before digging through the bag for the drugs.

Once the shifter was medicated, Riddick set everything aside and climbed into bed. He sat against the headboard, pulling Johns to his chest. The blonde winced a bit, but as the morphine took effect, he sighed, settling in against him. "Thanks Riddick," he whispered, fingers threading with the convict's.

With his free hand, Riddick rubbed the shifter's scalp, practically petting him. Johns liked the attention though, leaning into his touch. If it made the blonde happy, then Riddick was going to do it- anything for the tiniest smile. Everything that had happened- with the merc being injured and then the transport crash- he just wanted Johns to be alright.

He supposed there was something to that- not only feeling the urge to keep this man safe, but also worrying for his emotional wellbeing too. Riddick nuzzled into the crook of his neck, taking in Johns' scent. There was the overwhelming stink of sweat, fear, pain… It made the convict pull the blonde even closer, arms wrapping protectively around him.

Riddick suddenly understood what his inner animal had been trying to tell him. It wasn't the time for it, but he didn't want to keep something like this to himself. "Still with me beautiful?" he asked, nuzzling his cheek.

Johns' breathing had evened out, and there was a chance he had drifted off. He nodded though. "Mmhmm. Thanks Riddick," he repeated, rubbing against his cheek in return. "Feel better now."

The man nodded, able to smell the worst of the nervous scent fading away from him. For Johns to put so much faith in him, it stunned Riddick. A couple weeks back, it probably would have freaked him out, sent him running. Now though, now it touched a place deep inside him that made him content.

"Shifters mate, right?" Riddick inquired.

Johns blinked a few times, giving his brain a chance to process that and make sure he had heard the other man right. His mind was in a bit of a haze after the shot of morphine, and he didn't like the way it was making him feel. "Repeat that?"

"Shifters… You take mates."

The blonde craned his neck around, meeting Riddick's gaze. He was glad to see the man had pulled his goggles off in the dim room. Those silver eyes had a way of making him calm and relaxed- which amused him seeing as how he figured they would scare most people. But then, most people weren't animal enough to understand the fascination either.

"Yeah. We do." Johns wet his lips, giving him a puzzled look, but Riddick only nodded, appearing to be considering something. "For life," he added, for some reason needing the other man to understand the full commitment. "Why?"

Without missing a beat, Riddick answered, "'Cause I wanna be your mate." The shifter's jaw fell, and the convict couldn't really blame him. It was out though, and he wasn't about to take it back. Rather, he decided to go for broke. "Want you to be mine, Johns."

The blonde pulled it together, shaking his head in disbelief. He turned around, kneeling between Riddick's legs and looking him dead in the eye. He could see by Riddick's expression that he was being completely serious- no hint of teasing.

"I…" He stared at the man a moment, and then Johns started to laugh- he couldn't help it. When Riddick frowned, the merc shook his head, grabbing onto his hand and giving it a squeeze. "Riddick, I've wanted you to be my mate for a while now," he admitted.

"Then why-?"

"Cause you're not a shifter," Johns explained. "Didn't think you'd understand. Thought I'd scare you off." He sighed then, shaking his head, realizing how silly it all must have sounded.

Riddick sighed then as well, understanding the blonde's worries. As a shifter he was probably used to no one understanding his subtle quirks. Heck, Riddick wasn't sure how he instinctually knew what Johns meant by his different touches and sounds, but he did. His animal side knew enough to tell him this felt right, that he was home in Johns' arms.

"So, what d'ya say?" the convict inquired.

Johns smiled then, showing his teeth. "Riddick, I wanted you since the first time we played on my skiff." He chuckled a bit, and Riddick smiled softly.

"Ok," he murmured, grabbing Johns by the scruff of the neck and pulling him in to a deep kiss. Humming in happiness, he could feel the blonde purring in response. Riddick smiled, giving him a couple more pecks before pulling away a bit so he could speak. "So, how do we do this?"

Johns snaked his tongue over his lips, leaning back on his haunches a bit. "Mating? We, uh, trade bites."

"Where?"

The merc shrugged. "Wherever we want. Most mates will make it in a place that will show."

"What's most common?" he asked, a hand trailing down Johns' side before resting on his hip.

"Dunno if it's the most common…" the blonde began, running his fingers up the length of Riddick's arm. He then slipped his hand around to the scruff of the convict's neck, digging his fingers in slightly on either side of his spine. "It's the ultimate show of trust. Your life is in your mate's hands."

It went against a very base animal nature, letting someone get to your throat or back. You were completely vulnerable, as that person could easily kill you with a single snap. Allowing someone to sink their teeth into either side of the spine, it would take complete faith.

"I trust you beautiful," Riddick assured, cupping his cheek and running his thumb along his jaw.

Johns pulled his hand away. "It's risky," he continued. "Those that do it there, they do it under medical supervision, just to be safe."

"Johns." Riddick spoke more forcefully, making him meet his gaze. "I trust you," he repeated.

The shifter swallowed hard. "Trust you too Riddick. Just not sure it's the smartest idea to do it right now." He looked around them pointedly. "I mean, look where we are. If something goes wrong…" He sighed. "Even if everythin' works, they're open wounds. The bite is supposed to be deep enough to bleed, to scar. The last thing we need is an infection."

Riddick couldn't deny the logic in everything his boyfriend was saying. All the same, now that he had admitted the truth, he didn't want to wait anymore. Sure, it was selfish, but he couldn't help the way he felt. "After almost loosin' you… After all this shit…" he gestured around them, encompassing their current situation. It had opened his eyes, that much was certain.

"If you're sure…" Johns took a deep breath. He knew it was a crazy idea to be doing something like this in their predicament. His inner cat was protesting though, knowing how long he had waited- would have waited- for Riddick to become his mate. The offer was too tempting.

"Alright," the shifter agreed. He leaned off the bed, digging for the mini medical kit that he knew had gauze and tape. When he retrieved them, he set them on the bed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Their eyes met and Riddick gave him an encouraging smile. "Want to go first?"

Johns wet his lips nervously but nodded all the same. "May be easier if you lay down." Riddick did just that, stretching out on his stomach.

The shifter bent over him, a hand on either side of Riddick as he set his teeth against skin. To his credit, the convict only tensed for a moment before relaxing, indeed trusting Johns to get things right. With that in mind, the blonde was careful to make sure where each one of his teeth would go, giving a gentle test bite just to make absolutely sure.

"You're good," Riddick assured, catching onto what the shifter was doing. There was a grunt from Johns before Riddick felt teeth piercing his skin. He growled out a little, more startled than anything. Feeling the cat's fangs shifting into place, helping to cut through the muscle, Riddick was surprised at the groan he emitted.

As quickly as it began, it was over. Johns pulled away, letting his teeth go back to normal as he lapped at the wounds. Riddick tried to get up, but Johns pressed his back firmly, making him stay put. He needed to get him cleaned up, plus the convict didn't need to be moving around so quickly, lest he possibly get dizzy or nauseous.

Once the bleeding slowed enough, Johns pressed the gauze to his neck, taping it into place. "We'll change that later," he mentioned, moving to the gash on Riddick's arm. They had yet had the chance to make sure it was properly looked after since the crash, so Johns was going to take advantage of the man's compliant nature and wrap it.

Though, that passiveness didn't last long. As soon as his arm was taken care of, Riddick pulled Johns down to the bed. He placed a forceful kiss on his lips, tongue snaking into his mouth. "Roll over," the convict urged, nudging the shifter in the side.

There was no hesitation in Johns as the pair swapped places. Granted, he knew Riddick's own bite would not be over so quickly, being that he didn't have canines to work with. Thankfully, the morphine in his system would allow him to handle it- or so he hoped.

Riddick went just as slow and carefully as his partner had, mouthing the area a couple times. When Johns gave the signal that he was in a good position, he bit down in a quick, sharp motion. It pierced the skin easily enough, and Riddick increased the pressure to make his teeth sink in more. When he felt Johns tense, hearing the grunt of discomfort, his jaw slackened immediately.

"No," Johns urged. "Deeper." It wouldn't scar right unless Riddick got a full bite in.

The convict was hesitant, knowing he was causing Johns pain. With the taste of blood in his mouth, he knew he couldn't be playing around otherwise Johns could end up bleeding too much. So, Riddick knuckled down and bit again, forced to work his jaw from side to side a bit in order to get deeper like Johns wanted it.

When he loosened his grip again, the merc didn't protest. In fact, he sighed gratefully. "Ok?" Riddick graveled out, his voice husky like good sex. He accepted the nod and half smile as the blonde turned his head, one blue eye looking up at him. Riddick started to lick at the wound, feelings of possessiveness washing over him.

"_Mate," _Riddick rumbled out, continuing to sooth the merc's neck.

Johns purred in reply. "Mate," he confirmed.

Once he was bandaged up, he allowed Riddick to manhandle him to lie properly on the bed. They were lying on their sides, facing each other. Johns automatically started to mark, Riddick giving a rumble of approval before doing the same. There wouldn't be anything more than that though, not with how exhausted Johns felt.

Riddick was feeling it too, and he watched the merc's eyes fluttering, trying to stay awake. He kissed Johns' forehead. "Sleep baby. I'll be here," Riddick assured.

Johns nodded. "Love you Riddick."

The convict grinned, nuzzling into dirty blonde curls. "Love you too."

A contented smile was on Johns' face as he drifted off, Riddick wrapped around him protectively, following him into sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Disaster struck when the kids decided exploring on their own was a smart idea. They snuck into the Coring Room through some loose siding. One was devoured when those winged creatures flew up from the open drilling site. The others' screams brought everyone running. Though by the time Johns shot through the locks, letting light flood the room, the other boys were wounded, yet surprisingly survived.

When Riddick poked around the Coring Room, he suddenly understood everything that had happened- why the town was so empty. They had been killed by the same things that had gotten Zeke, the things hiding in the darkness below them. Trying to lock themselves in the Coring Room didn't do them much good when the shaft had been left open. Sure enough, when a flare was dropped down it, skeletal remains were found at its base.

"Thought they'd be safe," Riddick mused. "But they forgot to lock the cellar."

Later, after the boy was buried, they were sitting around in one of the other buildings. "Umm, guys," Shazza spoke up, standing in the doorway to another room. "You may wanna come look at this."

They weren't expecting a model of the solar system they were in, or that once every twenty-two years the lovely planet they crashed into would be cast into darkness due to an eclipse. That wouldn't be much to get excited over in and of itself, but then Shazza had found some coring samples on the nearby desk. The last one was taken twenty-two years previous.

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?" Riddick asked, a smirk on his face.

They had to get off that rock, and fast. There was no telling when exactly that eclipse was coming, but they sure as hell knew they didn't need to be anywhere _near _there when it hit. Whatever was waiting below the surface would be able to come out of hiding- and Johns knew the thing he had seen was _much _bigger than those tiny creatures that had swarmed in the Coring Room.

"Is that sandcat ready?" Johns inquired of the prospector. When she nodded, he looked around to the assembled group. "Gather your shit. We're moving out."

In their room, Riddick was loading up all of his blades, the only real thing he needed from the duffle- which they would be leaving behind to avoid hauling the extra weight. He did add the morphine and supplies to his cargo pants- just in case. He looked over, watching Johns putting on his vest.

As the merc was double-checking his shotgun was secured in his thigh holster, his knife was sheathed over his heart, and his spare ammo was all in place, he sensed Riddick coming up behind him. Sure enough, the other man snuggled up to his back, placing his chin on Johns' shoulder.

"Ya a'right?" Riddick inquired, the shifter nodding slightly in reply.

Johns had been fidgety and uncomfortable since his accident- and not just because of the shiv piece in his back. He was hurting both physically and emotionally because he couldn't shift. Since their mating though, Johns felt a bit more at ease. Having his mate close to him was helping sooth his feline side, making his situation just a bit more bearable.

Perhaps with everything going on, their mating hadn't been such a bad idea after all. Not if it allowed Johns to focus better and keep his mind off the pain. He could feel it, even then, starting to creep up on him again. The idea of putting any more drugs in his system though wasn't a positive one. No, he'd deal with the dull aching of his nerve endings- save the dope for when he really needed it.

Riddick's nuzzle into his neck brought him back to the present. "We should change these," the convict mentioned, brushing the gauze on the back of the shifter's neck. After it was done, Johns was smiling at him. "What?" he asked, though he was smiling slightly in return.

"Like seeing my mark on you," Johns admitted, rubbing their faces together before stealing a kiss. "Come on, mate," he continued. "Time to get our asses off this rock."

"Couldn't 'ave said it any better, beautiful."

* * *

As they were getting the powercells from the hold, Paris, Imam, and the remaining acolytes were poking around the crash ship for anything else they could have missed earlier. "I've got it," Riddick insisted when Johns tried to take a cell. Owens and Shazza each had one- the latter having issues dragging the thing- and Riddick hefted the final two, one on each shoulder.

Johns frowned. "I'm not useless y'know," he grumbled, following behind.

"Never said you were," Riddick replied simply. "But you're hurt, and this is nothin'." The weight wasn't bothering him in the least.

Owens was up in the back of the sandcat, laying the cells inside. After Shazza got hers in with the navigator's help, she turned to look at the pair. "Don't give me that look," Riddick continued, noticing the slight pout. "I can't look out for you?"

Johns didn't have a chance to reply as Shazza spoke up. "You're shifters, aren't you?" Both men turned to her in surprise. She smirked, motioning to the back of her neck. "Noticed those earlier but didn't really wanna say anything. You mated, didn't you?"

A perplexed look on his face, Owens asked, "Shifters? As in shapeshifters?"

Rather than giving an actual answer, Johns asked the woman, "How do you know so much?" It was answer enough to her though, as her smile grew.

"Met some shifters on my travels before," she explained. "Including a mated pair. They were marked in the same place. Explains a lot actually… How you could see down that hole, knowing Zeke was dead…" Johns nodded slightly at that- after all, that was the truth.

The crewman shook his head. "Well, that's a first." He then leaned out of the sandcat, looking curiously between them. "What are you? Can you, like, shift now?"

Shaking his head, Johns only answered sourly, "Not with my injury," before walking away.

Riddick sighed and Owens apologized softly. "Don't worry 'bout it," Riddick replied. "Not being in his animal form stresses him out." He jerked his head towards the ship. "Why don't you gather the others and I'll grab him. We should get goin'."

Without waiting for a reply, the convict trailed off after his mate, practically feeling the sorrow washing off him. "Johns…" He wrapped his arms around the shifter from behind, pulling him in tight. "Baby, what's wrong?" He nuzzled along his jaw lovingly.

Sighing, the blonde replied, "Hate this, Riddick. Hate not being able to let my cat out. Especially now. This form…" He growled. "My senses are dulled, I'm not as fast or agile, I'm not as strong…"

"Shh, beautiful." He mouthed at Johns' jaw. "You are _just _as strong now as you are in jaguar form. I've fought you enough to know that. We'll get through this. Ok?"

Johns turned around, looking Riddick in the eye- or about where they would be given the man had to wear his goggles- and nodded. "I'm right beside you, Riddick."

* * *

All seemed to be going well, driving back to the mining town, when Paris yelled. Shazza stopped the sandcat at the entrance to the canyon pass, and they all turned towards where he was pointing. The planets were aligning, beginning to block out the suns. "This sandcat is solar!" the prospector reminded them. "We might be able to make it."

"No," Johns answered. "Town's too far and that thing's movin' fast." The shifter looked back towards the crash site, which was still visible- barely, but visible. "We have to go back!" He thumped the protective cage. "Let's move!"

Shazza spun the vehicle around, racing as fast as possible back towards the crash ship. As the suns started to be blotted out, the sun-powered sandcat began to sputter and slow. Riddick growled, looking up to find the last of the light disappearing.

Almost immediately, they could hear chattering of the smaller creatures, and the convict ordered everyone to bail. They were still about fifty yards from the crash site. "Get to the container!" Johns urged. He and Riddick were bringing up the rear, and when the sound of beating wings came behind them, he shouted, "Get down!"

Everyone dove for the dirt, the swarm flying over them. Riddick had rolled to his back, pulling one of his blades and sticking it into their path. Johns' eyes widened, glancing over to find the bone blade was completely whittled away. His mate only raised a curious brow though.

Johns waited, ears pricked to pick up on the faintest sound. He could make out the heavy breathing of those around him, save for Riddick who laid calmly on his side, looking at him. Then he heard the swarm double back, just as the kids tried to get up. "No!" the merc snapped, but it was too late. The Imam was only able to snatch one of them, the swarm picking up the other and ripping him in half as they flew away.

Riddick stood, tossing the ruined shiv aside before brushing the dirt from his hands. Shazza was urging the others to get inside the overturned shipping container that they had almost made it to before the attack. Johns moved into a jog to catch up with them, though he noted Riddick was walking casually, pulling up his goggles.

"Enough!" the shifter growled at him, drawing his attention. "Stop dickin' around!" Riddick had the nerve to simply smirk at him, and the blonde's growl grew, standing in the doorway.

That all stopped when some odd echoing sounded in the distance. Both men looked out into the night, their enhanced eyesight allowing them to see the rock formations in the distance crumbling, and the giant creatures that came out of them. It was the larger versions of those creatures that swarmed them, the ones Johns had seen when Zeke died.

"Beautiful," Riddick breathed, watching the large creatures take flight. Johns knew exactly what his mate meant when he said this, and he agreed completely- they were indeed deadly.

* * *

The echoes around the container were growing in intensity and frequency as the group gathered all the light sources they could find. The plan was simple. They couldn't just wait in the dark to die. They had to get the cells and get to the skiff. With enough light, they could keep the bastards at bay and get through.

They'd learned light actually hurt the creatures when the final kid decided to go play in the darkness alone and was sliced in half by one that had found its way inside. Johns had shot it, and as it lay on the ground, they watched its skin bubble and burn. It explained the whooping noises- echo location. They were blind.

Some scraping noises came from the sealed off part of the container. Riddick smirked, deciding to pick on the blonde a little bit. "Come on Johns. You got the big gauge."

His mate made a face. "I'd rather piss glass. Why don't you go fuckin' check?"

The convict chuckled softly, shaking his head. He noticed that the humor wasn't shared though by his fellow survivors. "Let's get to the crash ship," he rumbled. "Get what other light we can. Build this sled for the cells, and get the hell moving."

* * *

"Better?" Riddick inquired, running his knuckles over his mate's cheek. The blonde nodded, sighing as he leaned back against the wall. The convict had just given him another shot of morphine, and the drugs flooded into his system, taking the edge off his screaming nerve endings.

The pair looked up, finding the Imam approaching them where they were standing off on their own. The holy man gave a disapproving look before speaking, "The sled is ready. We're just waiting on you."

Johns sighed, pulling his shotgun up and tilting his head to the side. "Let's get this over with."

As he started to walk off though, Riddick grabbed hold of his vest and pulled him in. "Be careful, mate," he whispered before claiming the other's lips. The kiss was passionate and sure, filled with love. There was no mistaking the slight aroma of worry coming from each of them though. All they could do was reassure each other with lips and hands.

"Keep close," Johns replied as they parted.

As they joined the others, both men draped strings of lights over their heads, settling them onto their backs. The light would protect their backs while keeping out of their sensitive eyes, allowing them to lead the group through the darkness. Behind them, Owens and the Imam would pull the sled while Paris and Shazza held up lights in the back. The four of them were wrapped in the glowing blue emergency lighting they salvaged from the ship, the power unit sitting on the sled that would hold the cells once they made it to the sandcat.

"Here goes nothing," the shifter spoke, looking over to his mate. He gripped tightly to his shotgun, nodding his head in silent signal, as ready as he was ever going to be.

With one last look into the darkness, Riddick grunted. "Move out," he growled, setting out into the open terrain with Johns at his side. He could care less about the others, but he would see his mate to safety. That Riddick could promise.

* * *

"There's the sandcat!" Johns announced, picking up the pace a little. When he reached it, he turned around, looking at the area around them. "I'll cover you," he assured them, flipping on the light attached to the rail of his shotgun to help provide more of a deterrent.

Riddick hoped into the back of the sandcat, Shazza pulling off her lighting rope to join him. While they worked, the shifter's eyes peered into the darkness, noticing how the creatures were starting to come in closer since they stopped. Focusing on the ones groundside, he almost missed the sound of beating wings and the whooping echo from behind.

"Get down!" he shouted, spinning around and leveling his shotgun. His mate had already been moving as well, and Owens reached up instinctively and pulled Shazza down off the truck bed, taking her to the ground with him. When the giant creature flew into range, Johns put two rounds into him, and it went down just out of light range.

The fresh corpse on the field caused a feeding frenzy, others trying to rush them then. Johns went completely on instinct, spinning and firing, turning and repeating. All the commotion sent Paris into a panic and he started to flee on hands and knees.

"Paris!" Owens yelled. "Stop!" Johns and Riddick both looked over just as the idiot art dealer pulled the power unit from the sled. It immediately killed the blue light, plunging them into darkness. Thinking quickly, Shazza activated a flare from the sled, lighting the bottles of alcohol off of it.

The soft glow didn't save Paris though. He was off alone then, and no one was about to go out there and save him. Only Johns and Riddick's eyes could see the scene that played out in the inky blackness. Paris was easily surrounded by almost a dozen creatures, all pouncing at once.

Shazza crinkled her nose as they were all standing back up. "Do I even wanna know?" she inquired of the pair. Johns just looked at her with an expression that said all.

Riddick jumped down, loading the last cell onto the sled. "Let's move while they're distracted," he grunted out. The creatures were fighting over Paris' corpse and the remains of their brethren as they fell. Clearly focused on the food at hand, they paid little attention to the retreating humans.

As they continued the trek Johns started to get twitchy. He had an itch to turn. All the blood in the air, the danger of the situation flooding him with adrenaline, everything about his animal side screamed to be let free. He grimaced as his jaw started to shift to elongate into a muzzle against his will.

Riddick watched all of this and moved in closer to him. The shifter seemed to instantly react to his touch, coming back under control of his feline side. He heaved a sigh, meeting the convict's gaze, eyes filled with an overwhelming amount of emotion. All Riddick wanted to do was stop and comfort him, but as it stood, all he could offer was his proximity.

They had slowed as they neared the canyon. Neither of them had to say a word to the other as to why. It was just like on Lupus- picking the same booths to sit in at the bars, the way they fought together- they simply knew what the other was thinking. The canyon was a classic kill zone. Getting through it would take a miracle.

As luck would have it though, it seemed they had to worry about just making the canyon at all. The skies opened up, raining down upon them. "Oh no," Shazza whispered. The torches weren't going to hold up under the shower. The flares would do a bit better, being made to get wet to an extent, but it wouldn't last forever.

"We need to find cover!" the Imam shouted, trying to shield his bottle.

"The boneyard!" Johns suggested above the noise of the rain. "We can hide in the skeletons!" They sat towards the beginning of the canyon, and had enough coverage underneath them to keep most of the rain off.

"Alright," Riddick grunted. "Take point. I'll take the cells. Keep those lights on!"

"You sure you can take those alone?" Owens asked as he passed by. The cutting look he received was enough to shut the navigator up quickly. Shazza grabbed the box of flares left on the sled while Riddick pulled the cordage off and quickly tied them to the cells.

"Ready!" Riddick yelled, and his mate didn't even hesitate to slip into the canyon and lead them into the worst of the trip.

* * *

He didn't like this. He didn't like being stuck in one place while the creatures around them hunted and fought. As the shifter glanced at Riddick, he could see the same instincts running through his mind.

The pair had gone up, inside the hollowed out spine of the large skeleton to get higher so they could see. They had their strings of light, Johns' flashlight, and a flare, but even that didn't seem like enough with what they were seeing between them and the mining town.

Below them, protected under the breast bone and rib cage, the other three sat with the cells, trying to keep the torches dry. "How does it look?" Shazza called up to them.

"You don't wanna know," Riddick responded dryly. Johns grunted in agreement, a frown plastered on his face. Riddick furrowed his brow then, leaning over to give his mate a comforting scratch behind the ear. The blonde's lips twitched, leaning into the simple touch, drawing warmth into Riddick's heart in such a dark hour.

Unfortunately, it was not meant to last. "Shit!" Owens screamed, stumbling backwards out into the rain, pulling the prospector along with him. Whipping their heads around, the mated pair saw the reason for the outburst. A large creature had spotted them and was attempting to push his way between the ribs to get at the trio.

The headbutting action caused the weak structure to waiver, and they cursed as the whole thing tilted, collapsing in on itself. The pair was pitched out, rolling away from the others. As they got to their feet, they found that Shazza had gotten stuck under a section, Owens trying to help her as the Imam freed himself from some smaller debris.

Simultaneously, they were forced to act, and once again on instinct they didn't have to call out what their moves were. When the holy man had a tail reach from the darkness and wrap around his throat, Johns moved towards him, leveling his shotgun and firing. At the same time, the original creature that had caused the mayhem pounced towards the other two, and Riddick drew his blades, diving for it.

Johns had managed to hit the creature holding the Imam, but he missed the one coming up behind him. It lashed out; it's bladed tail swiping his back, hooking into his vest. He growled, unbuckling one of the straps and slipping from it as the thing tried to pull him into the darkness as its next meal. He grunted upon hitting the ground, jumping up just in time to watch another creature stab Imam through the chest and run off with him.

Riddick had more luck, slicing the creature to pieces and saving both Owens and Shazza, who had been successfully freed. "Flares!" the convict ordered, noting how his mate swept over to cover his back.

Shazza dug for the box of flares, tossing each of them one once she'd found it, tucking the final one into her tool belt. Owens was busy locating the cells while the mated pair scanned the area for anything that may have been attracted by the fresh blood. "Son of a bitch!" the navigator growled. "They're stuck!"

Everyone moved in to try and help move the fallen bones off the cells. Though the fading lights weren't deterring the creatures as well as they once had, frenzied once more from their latest meal and the blood in the air. It was causing Johns' body to twitch again as he moved about, popping shots off at anything that came nearby.

One creature charged right out of the darkness, heading straight for him. Johns nailed him straight to the chest, but that didn't slow him down. Pumping the shotgun for a second shot, it jammed. Johns' eyes widened, reacting on pure instinct to save himself.

He changed into his jaguar form, screaming in pain as he did so. Ignoring the burning through his back, his teeth connected with the creature's throat and ripped it out as he muscled the thing to roll to the side. Blood dripped from his muzzle and he crinkled his nose at the sour taste the blue liquid left in his mouth.

Riddick turned to find his mate shifted next to him, eyes immediately falling to the shiv that had pushed its way through the muscle during the change. "Don't move!" he growled out, kneeling next to him.

Johns' head came around, seeing the issue- which explained the pain he had experienced. He noticed the convict seemed to be debating on what he should do, but there was really only one choice. Leaving it there could kill him, and while the blood loss could too, it was the lesser risk in their current situation. He would just have to hope they could make the skiff before he bled out.

The black jaguar took Riddick's forearm gently in his mouth, moving it towards the shiv. Their eyes met and Johns nodded in silent permission. In a swift motioned, Riddick yanked the knife from his back, causing the cat to clamp down in pain, leaving behind shallow bite marks. "Sorry, baby," he murmured into Johns' ear.

"Riddick! Help!" Shazza yelled, tugging a cell loose. Johns bumped his head into his mate's side, urging him to go aid them. He could cover them even better in his cat form.

While the jaguar danced around the perimeter, the trio worked to free the remaining cells. However, Johns quickly noticed the dire situation they were in. As though seeing everything in slow motion, perfect clarity, he could see the flares flickering, threatening to go out. He watched as more creatures barred down on them. And as his eyes pierced the darkness, it was painfully clear it was _him _they were most interested in.

_The blood, _his mind supplied. With one last look to Riddick, he knew what he had to do.

Johns dashed past them, back towards where they had come. He would lure them away, clearing the path for the others. The only thing going through his brain was protecting his mate. _I love you, Riddick, _he thought, diving into the darkness.

Riddick's head snapped around as the cat flew by. "Johns!" he hollered, dropping everything to go after him, the others not far behind him. "Johns! Stop!" The jaguar didn't falter, leaving the safety of the light.

In that instant, a feline scream echoed through the night, causing Riddick's heart to stop.


	9. Chapter 9

"Johns!" Riddick roared, running towards the gut-wrenching sound.

A bladed tail flew out from the darkness, sending the flare flying as it tripped him up and sliced a deep gash down his right leg. The pain was excruciating and it felt like acid was poured into it, but it still didn't cut as deep as the second jaguar scream.

Riddick scrambled to his feet but he hesitated, hearing the rumbling of engines. "What the-?"

Suddenly the area was bathed in light, the creatures screeching in pain as they fled back. Riddick had to drop his head and pull his goggles down before looking up again. A small transport craft hovered above them, the flood lights on full blast.

Riddick's eyes immediately went to where his mate had gone, heart dropping when he saw the collapsed form of a jaguar lying in the dirt. He rushed to his side, hearing the others coming over as well. There was a sharp gasp from Shazza, and the convict's hands hovered over top the shifter, unsure what to do.

"Johns," he breathed. Blood was flowing freely from his lower back, but also from a gash across his flank, and a stab wound to his shoulder. He was never so relieved when blue-grey eyes fluttered open to meet his gaze. "Johns!" Riddick buried his face into the scruff of his neck, not helping the cry of relief or the hot tears on his cheeks.

"Hang in there, baby. We're gettin' outta here." Riddick scooped the cat up into his arms as gently as possible.

As he looked at the other two survivors, he noted Shazza nursing wounds she hadn't let show before then, and Owens was sporting some cuts and scrapes as well, a death grip on Johns' discarded shotgun. Air blew around them from the thruster exhaust as the ship lowered down, the back hatch opening up to reveal two men with rifles, ready to cover them.

"Hurry!" the black male urged, reaching out to help Owens and Shazza on board. Riddick followed after them, the jaguar cradled in his arms.

"Let's move!" the other man yelled up towards the cockpit of the drop craft.

As the rear gate sealed shut, Riddick realized he was in the middle of a merc crew. He held back the irritated growl, hoping he may be able to lie his way out of trouble. It was doubtful, but he would give it a go. Johns could actually help in that.

Thinking of the cat though, he looked down in his arms, noting the slitted blue eye looking at him. "We're safe now, baby," he assured softly. The beast gave a nod as best he could. Those ears flicked back towards where a couple people were now emerging from the cockpit, his head craning in that direction.

"Oh God," the woman gasped.

The man next to her hesitated before rushing forward. "No, no, no..." He went to take hold of the jaguar, halting immediately when Riddick snarled at him. It was Johns' paw shoved into the convict's collarbone that made him stop. Riddick gave the cat a questioning gaze, but it was answered when the man whispered, "Billy."

Riddick's head snapped up to the man. "You're his dad," he realized. He recognized the voice then. Boss nodded, and the convict didn't fight as Johns was taken from his grasp, laid out onto the floor.

"Billy," he spoke, waiting until the jaguar's eyes opened again. "You need to shift ok?" The cat grumbled a complaint. "I know, son. I know." He ran a hand tenderly over the cat's head.

After a couple deeper breaths, Riddick watched his lover change back. It was a challenge, and the bones popped in an angry way, a drawn out groan spilling from his lips. When he finished, he collapsed into his father and Riddick feared the worst.

He knelt next to him, hand on his back. "Johns," Riddick urged. "Johns!"

Boss pushed the merc back a bit, cupping his cheek to look at him better. The movement jarred the blonde, letting another groan slip past his lips. Blue eyes flicked to the side to find him, whispering, "Ridd-"

"I'm here," the convict assured, fingers carding into blonde hair, which was caked with blood and dirt. Johns only nodded, sighing a bit as his body sagged.

"Here," the woman spoke- Dahl, was it?- holding out some towels to them and opening up an emergency kit.

"The others..." Riddick started, but he looked to find Shazza and Owens were already being tended to as well. _Good_, he thought. He wanted all his attention to be able to focus on Johns.

Without any flourish or preamble, Riddick pulled a shiv, slicing open the blonde's shirt up the back. It was swiss cheese anyway. The stab to his shoulder hadn't past all the way through from the front, which hopefully meant less tissue damage. There was a light cut across his shoulder blades, and the gash going down his side and across his hip wasn't as bad as it had seemed planetside.

Riddick placed one of the absorbent blood-clotting pads onto the wound at his spine- where he'd ripped the last piece of the knife from his body. He noticed the darkening of Boss' eyes, and wondered just what was going through the veteran merc's head. "Dahl," he ordered the woman, "radio Doc and give 'im a heads up on Billy."

She hurried off to do just that, leaving the pair alone with Johns. Riddick tried to ignore the searing gaze, focusing instead on the blonde. His fingers once again carded into his curls, both comforting him and keeping him conscious. Boss, who had been putting more of the blood-clotting pads onto the worst of the hip wound and his shoulder, froze at the gesture.

"_Billy_," he spoke, tone low and dangerous. Johns turned his head, recognizing it immediately, trying his best to focus. He felt more out of it than when he'd been doped up in the hospital after surgery, and he was losing sensation in his limbs. He could, however, feel the gentle caress of his mate, and leaned into the touch.

The shifter went still then, suddenly realizing the reason for his father's tone. Riddick's hand was near the base of his neck, by the gauze that covered his new mating mark. Nothing got past Boss, but it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have just then. Deciding the best course of action was just to feign being out of touch- which really wasn't hard with how he was feeling- Johns sunk closer to his dad.

There was a sigh of defeat from Boss, and his arm wrapped around the blonde. "We've gotcha, Billy," he assured, though his dark eyes were watching Riddick closely. The convict knew there was going to be hell to pay, for them both, if that look he was getting had anything to say about it. Although it was also clear that he and Boss had the same main goal just then- getting Johns help.

* * *

When the small ship docked inside the cruiser, the on-board Doc was already waiting there with a stretcher. When the one merc stepped forwards to help Boss and Riddick lift Johns onto it, the convict snarled, showing his teeth. He rounded on the doctor next, but a firm hand fell on his shoulder.

"Easy," Boss' deep voice spoke near his ear, the same slight twang present as his son. "Morgan's the best. He'll take care of 'im."

Riddick begrudgingly allowed the Doc to pull the cot through the halls, he and Boss following right behind. The convict was still edgy though, trying to memorize the twists and turns while paying careful attention to anyone who came near his mate. The fact he was differing to Boss- letting him stay closer beside Johns- didn't go unnoticed to either of them.

In the med bay, they helped to transfer Johns onto a bed, the blonde fading in and out. Immediately the doctor started an IV and began to take vitals. "We're going to need blood," he mentioned, looking pointedly to Boss. The shifter nodded, rolling up his sleeve.

"I'm a match too," Riddick mentioned. "I gave 'im some on Lupus." Not that he'd told Johns.

"Good," Morgan replied, starting to prep things. "He's going to need it. I'll start the transfusion first. The clotting wraps you applied should hold until then. Then I can get everything else going." He cut a glance to everyone else hovering in the entrance. "Other wounded over there," he pointed towards the cots. "The rest of you get the hell out." Riddick smirked. Perhaps this doctor wasn't half bad after all.

"Dahl," Boss called before the woman left. "Tell Viper to get us the hell outta here. Course to Lupus. And let the others know they can return to cryo."

She nodded, going to do as she was told but she stopped when she spotted something. "Umm, Boss?"

When the man looked to her, he saw she was looking at the floor, a trail of blood from where they came. It stopped at Riddick, and the shifter noticed his leg for the first time. "You didn't say you were injured," he said, reaching out and grabbing hold of Riddick's bicep.

When he tried to tug him towards a bed, Riddick dropped his weight down on his heels, not budging. "I'm fine," he grunted stubbornly.

He was met with a searing glare. "Get your ass on that cot!" Boss ordered. "You can't give blood to my son if you let it all fall out!"

Riddick gnashed his teeth together, nostrils flaring in anger at being ordered around. He didn't really have much of a choice though, knowing that the man was right. Biting back a harsh retort, Riddick sat on the cot, stretching his legs out. "So much for the new pants," he mused, noting their ruined state for the first time.

Boss ripped them open more, grabbing some of the same clotting bandages to put on the deep gash. "Doesn't look too good," he mentioned.

"Don't feel too good either," the convict dead-panned. That caused a small smirk to appear on Boss' face, one that looked eerily the same as his son's. At least Riddick knew where Johns got that cock-sure attitude from then.

"Come on, Boss," Morgan said, gesturing to the chair that sat between the two beds. The shifter was hooked up to the transfusion machine, and once the blood was flowing into Johns, Riddick let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. His mate would be alright now.

Boss looked over at him, then past him to where Owens and Shazza were on the next cot over. They were sitting up, legs dangling over the edge. While the doctor started to deal with all of Johns' wounds, the elder shifter broached the subject on his mind- although Riddick knew it was probably the _second _thing on his list of curiosities. "What happened down there?"

"We crashed," Riddick replied, and Boss snorted, shaking his head. The convict looked at the navigator. "Owens." He jerked his head to the side, indicating he should fill the merc in.

Owens swallowed, licking his lips, clearly nervous about where they were. "I, uh, can't say for sure. We may have been hit by a rogue comet or passed through a meteor shower." He hesitated and Boss gave him an encouraging nod. "Our captain and pilot ended up dead in the crash. Most of the passengers too. We put up a distress beacon… Is that how you found us?"

Boss nodded. "Billy passed along the transport information. We were crossing that shipping lane en route to Lupus, so we slipped right in about a day or so behind you. I had to wake the others from cryo when I heard the SOS."

"Lucky you did," Shazza replied. "We were almost dinner down there."

"How'd you all get injured?"

"These things," Riddick answered, suddenly deadly serious. "Whatever they were, they hated the light. Just our luck we crash when an eclipse was coming."

"We were making for an abandoned skiff we found," the prospector explained. "We had power cells from the crash ship, but the eclipse…" She sighed. "We lost… six people. Three were just kids." She looked between Riddick and Boss then. "Without Riddick and Johns, we would have died too," she admitted of her and Owens.

The convict cringed as she said his name aloud, but the woman had no way of knowing what his true background was. He didn't miss Boss' gaze flicker to him, before returning to his son. There was silence for a while, only broken when Owens cleared his throat.

"So we're going back to Lupus?"

"I have business there," Boss answered. "And it's the nearest place to dock." He glanced at the navigator then. "No objections, I hope."

Owens shook his head immediately. "No, no, just… If it's not too much trouble, I should get in contact with Oslo Shipping. Let them know what happened."

He nodded. "You're free to contact them whenever. Just ask Viper to connect you." He looked to Shazza then. "And you, Miss…?"

"Shazza." She shook her head then. "And I don't have anyone to contact." Riddick met her gaze, knowing that she was not on friendly terms with her father from the talks they had on that barren planet. Shazza was from a wealthy family, yet she'd run away from home, giving up a comfortable life to make her own decisions, go her own way.

It fell into silence again, the doctor finishing his stitches and unhooking Boss from the machine. "Feel alright?" Morgan questioned. Boss nodded, and he was handed some juice. "Drink up." The doctor nodded towards where Johns slept, passed out from all the drugs floating in his system. "He'll be fine," he assured, patting his friend's shoulder.

Turning to Riddick, he said, "Now, you… Let's see that leg."

"Take care a them first," the convict replied, nodding towards the other survivors.

The doctor glanced at Boss as though asking permission, but the merc just waved him off. While Morgan was busy with them, Riddick was watching Boss. The shifter laid his upper body on the bed, one arm tucked under his head as he grabbed hold of Johns' hand with the other. "Hang in there Billy boy," he whispered.

Riddick felt a pull in his chest, urging him to go to his mate's side and curl protectively around him. He couldn't rightfully do that given his current predicament. He was barely aware of the needle pulling his flesh back together, or the doctor going on about how deep it was. The only thing he cared about was that Johns would be alright. "Gonna take blood?" he asked.

Morgan nodded. "Won't be able to take a full amount given what you're likely to have lost from this. But a little more would do him good, help his body to concentrate on healing his wounds rather than creating more red blood cells."

"Take it then," Riddick grunted. _Take it all… if it helps him…_

* * *

Riddick woke, and it took a minute for his brain to catch up, telling him where he was- the med bay, on a merc ship. He looked around, noting that everyone else was gone save for Johns and his father, who was still sitting at his side, watching over his only child. Sitting up, Riddick shook himself a bit, trying to wake up, not even realizing he had fallen asleep.

"You were only out about ten minutes," Boss spoke, not even turning around. "Doc took the others to some of the free rooms. Unsurprisingly, they didn't wanna go into cryo." He turned to him then. "You're stable enough if you want to-"

"Stayin' right here," Riddick grunted, not missing the slight smirk on the shifter's face.

"I figured as much." He turned then, leaning his back against Johns' bed. "I know who you are… Riddick." The convict flinched. He knew it had been coming, but he didn't really care to deal with it. "Knew before the girl ever said your name."

"Yeah?"

Boss smirked. "My son may _think _he's clever, but the old man still knows what he's doing every once 'n' awhile." Riddick gave a huffing laugh at that, shaking his head. "It doesn't take much to put together that his new _boyfriend's_ name happens to be the same as the escaped convict from Butcher Bay. Already suspected that Johns helped you, but that just settled it."

Riddick chuckled. "Johns didn't help me escape." He looked to Boss with a crooked grin on his face. "He just offered me a ride."

Shaking his head, Boss smirked as well. "That may be. But it's still aiding and abetting. You could have gotten my son thrown in Slam." He gave the convict a hardened look for a moment before sighing. "What's done is done." He looked towards his son as he added, "Much like those bites on your necks."

Riddick found himself licking his lips, feeling suddenly nervous. He couldn't recall knowing such an emotion before, not even as a child. Then again, until Johns was hurt on Lupus, he hadn't known _fear _either. He had no idea what to say- he wouldn't apologize for it- so he stayed silent.

Boss shook his head, gazing at him intently. "It's not that you did it," he continued. "Lord knows no one could force my son into anything like that, even injured."

He got up, walking over to stand next to Riddick's bed. "I looked at his mark while you were resting. It's fresh." The shifter growled then, dark eyes flashing his feral nature behind them. "What would make you even _think _that trading bites in that situation was a smart idea?! One of you could have died!"

"We almost did in the crash," Riddick replied, voice deep and firm, not backing down from the challenge. "I can't tell you why we had to do it then." Hell, he didn't know how to rationalize it to himself, let alone someone else. "We just did."

Deflating a bit, Boss sighed. He seemed to be thinking of something, though whatever it was, he didn't share. Not that he had a chance to, as Morgan picked that time to return.

"Viper and Dahl say they'll both be staying up," the doc informed Boss. "I will be as well until Billy's stable." He went over to check on the various monitor readings.

Boss nodded. "Once Billy's up, Viper can head to cryo again. I doubt Dahl will want to…"

Morgan laughed lightly. "Doubtful. Not with her little Billy back around." Riddick stiffened at that, swallowing the growl in the back of his throat. It didn't stop his hands clenching into fists. The doctor noticed, asking, "How's the pain?"

Riddick gritted his teeth, muttering, "Fine." He didn't miss the knowing look Boss was sending him, but was too busy reigning in his possessive feelings to care.

* * *

When Riddick woke again, the lights in the room had been dimmed. He glanced over, noticing Johns sleeping peacefully. With everything a bit darker, he was able to pull his goggles off, leaving them on the cot as he walked over to his mate's bedside. He leaned down, nuzzling into his hair and taking a deep inhale. He smiled softly at Johns' scent, taking comfort in it.

"I'm here, baby," he whispered. Riddick's fingers laced with the shifter's. In his sleep, Johns moved closer to his mate instinctively, a barely audible purr leaving him. Riddick smiled softly, petting him. He couldn't stop himself, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Love you, beautiful."

He stiffened, feeling another presence. As he spun around, teeth bared, the growl that started faded away when he saw who was there- Boss. The other shifter met his gaze, tilting his head as he studied the man in front of him closer than he had before. "Interesting eyes," he mentioned. Then without missing a beat, he strolled in casually, standing at the foot of Johns' bed, offering him one of the sandwiches he had in hand. "Hungry?"

Riddick gave a slight nod, accepting the food. He hadn't eaten since leaving Lupus. Granted, cryo slowed the body and provided needed nutrition. Even then, it had been awhile, and he was practically starving. It probably wouldn't have occurred to him to take care of his own needs while watching over his mate.

"How did my son get hurt?" Boss questioned as they ate. Riddick didn't miss the possessive way he'd been speaking of Johns- _my son_- but he couldn't say he blamed the man. He was a stranger to Boss, a convict, just some guy he knew nothing about who had gone and claimed his only child without even knowing about it.

"We ended up surrounded," Riddick answered. "I dunno why, but he shifted and the shiv in his back broke through." He looked over at Boss, admitting, "I pulled it out so he didn't hurt himself more."

Boss broke their gaze, looking down at his son. "A tough decision," he replied. When Riddick remained silent, he asked, "What about the other wounds?"

Riddick sighed heavily, feeling sick to his stomach. He put the sandwich down on a nearby stand, worried he was going to bring it all back up just thinking about it. He growled in frustration then, balling his fist. "The dumbass decided to play martyr and run off into the dark!"

He saw the shifter stiffen, and waited for an outburst. It never came though. Rather, Boss sighed softly, shaking his head. He was definitely distressed, but he seemed more disheartened than angry. "Billy," he murmured before sighing again. "I swear… sometimes you don't think."

"Only sometimes?" Riddick couldn't help but inquire.

It seemed to lighten the mood and Boss cracked a smile.

* * *

He was forced into bed by Boss more, which meant he ended up drifting off, though once again not for long. Stretching out, Riddick kicked his legs off the bed with the intent to go to the bathroom. He paused though, seeing an unexpected sight.

There was a large jaguar curled up beside Johns. The blonde had his arms wrapped around its neck, nose tucked in by its ear. The cat was practically gold in color, with an attractive spot pattern. Riddick was taking a wild guess and assuming the jaguar to be Boss. A sense of possessiveness flashed through him and he bit down the growl. At least it _better _have been Boss.

As though hearing his thoughts, the jaguar's head lifted, looking over at him. The dark eyes were Boss' and Riddick felt relieved by that. Johns' arms tightened their hold around the cat, forcing him back down. He didn't miss Boss' eye roll.

"What a Daddy's boy," Riddick mused, and the cat grunted in what he figured was agreement. All the same Boss rubbed his face against his son's lovingly.

There was another squeeze before blue eyes fluttered open. He smiled softly seeing the big cat beside him and nuzzled into his neck. Riddick practically flew across the space between them, catching the blonde's attention. "Riddick," he spoke, a bright smile on his face.

The jaguar jumped down gracefully, shifting back into the human form of Boss. "How you feelin' Billy?" he asked, while Riddick sat on the edge of the bed, taking his mate's hand.

Shrugging, Johns attempted to sit up, hissing a bit at the movement. "Damn, that smarts," he muttered.

"Well, what do you expect when you pull some stupid move?" Riddick scolded.

The blonde snorted. "Look, I already know Dad's gonna rip me a new one. He doesn't need your help."

"Damn straight you're gonna hear it," Boss agreed, a bit of growl behind it. He placed their heads together, rubbing his shoulder, relaxing a bit as he took in the other's scent. "Right now though, I'm just glad you're alive."

"Well, there's a relief," the other shifter replied sarcastically.

For that he received a smack in the back of the head. "You don't do something stupid like that again," Boss ordered. "You pull enough stunts. You don't need to upgrade it to playing the martyr." He scowled, pulling away to meet his son's gaze.

"Dad, I-"

"And this business with getting mated…"

Johns frowned at that, looking away from them both. "Damnit," he grumbled. "I just woke up, Dad. Can't you give me a break?"

"You were already hurt!" Boss growled out, ignoring the blonde's pleas. "You risked too much mating like that. It should have been done under supervision to make sure you both were alright." He puffed out air through his nose.

"Well I'm not apologizing for it!" Johns shot back. "Riddick's my mate!"

Boss sighed then, shaking his head. He took hold of his face, making Johns look at him. "Billy," he spoke, calmer and reassuring. "I'm not mad that you got mated. Son, I'm _happy _for you." He smiled softly, kissing his forehead. "I just worry for your safety, that's all."

Johns' nose twitched, eyes softening. "You're really not mad I got mated without you?"

The veteran merc smiled warmly, dropping his hands away. "Well, I would have preferred to be there with you, certainly." He shook his head. "But no, I'm not upset about that."

As the pair smiled at each other, Riddick couldn't help but grin as well. He'd never known any sort of parental bond himself, and it was clear just how strong theirs went. It was also painfully clear that Boss was wrapped around his son's little finger. Then again, Riddick knew Johns had him wrangled like that as well, but he was oddly alright with that.

Seemingly remembering he was there, Johns smiled brightly at him, leaning forward to wrap his arms around him. "Told ya Dad would like you," he mentioned.

Riddick looked over his mate's shoulder, meeting Boss' gaze. The convict was figuring that judgment was still out on that one, so he only held the blonde back. "Just glad you're alright, beautiful," he replied, nuzzling into his throat.

"Now, when the hell do I get outta here?" Johns questioned, causing both men to groan in exasperation.

"Well," Boss mused. "He's your problem now Riddick."


	10. Chapter 10

While Johns rested, Boss gestured for Riddick to join him. "Come walk a bit," he said. "It will do your leg good to stretch it." The convict hesitated, looking to his slumbering mate before eventually nodding. The elder Johns was correct in that. Riddick kissed the blonde's forehead gently before walking out with the other shifter.

Boss kept a slow pace, not missing the slight limp the other man had. "How's that feel?" he inquired.

"Like shit," Riddick dead-panned, earning him a smirk from the shifter. "Was that all your crew?" It had been roughly twenty-four hours since they had boarded the merc vessel, and he hadn't seen anyone other than Morgan since then. Even his fellow survivors had kept out of the med bay since being moved. Though he figured that was likely do to being exhausted.

Nodding, he answered, "You met everyone but Viper, our other pilot. Dahl's our sniper. Then there's Moss and Lockspur," he spoke of the other two men he'd seen. "And clearly Doc…" He shrugged. "He's an old salt. Been with me from the start, so he feels entitled to berate me every once and awhile."

"I like 'im," Riddick replied honestly. "He's got balls."

Boss chuckled. "That he does. And he's damn good with a gun too, so watch your ass."

"Always."

They ended up in the cockpit, and Riddick looked around. Everything was state-of-the-art. Clearly Boss' team did well for themselves, and the shifter knew how to keep all his equipment at its best. He noticed the same could be said of the weapons his mercs had been carrying. Riddick couldn't wait to get a peek at their armory. For then though, exploring all their systems sounded like fun.

A young man about Johns' age was sitting at the helm. He spun the chair around, grinning at the pair. "Everything's still good up here, Boss," he assured, brushing angled bangs from his green eyes. They were actually very pretty, and matched the streaks in his shoulder-length brunette locks.

"Good. Viper, want you to meet Riddick."

"Nice to finally meet ya man," Viper spoke, waving a hand. "Granted, I figured if that day ever came you'd be sittin' in the back in chains, not wanderin' around my sanctuary here."

Riddick gave a feral grin at that. "Yeah, well, you and me both."

"Viper's a fellow ex-Ranger," he told the convict. "I'm sure you two will have plenty to talk about."

"Maybe," Riddick graveled back. "Not exactly a people person."

"Neither am I," the kid replied. "Guess that means we'll get along just fine. As long as you don't decide the cockpit's also _your _favorite hiding spot too." He smirked. "Then I'd probably have to kick you out."

Riddick barked out a laugh. He would like to see the scrawny thing try it. All the same, he figured he would like Viper. It seemed Boss liked to collect guys that didn't beat around the bush. If any of them had the skill to back up their mouths, then he could see why they were so deadly efficient.

Boss jerked his thumb towards the door. "Go take a break Viper. Get some food."

"Aye aye." The pilot threw up a mock salute, dodging Boss' attempted swat at him on the way out.

"Damn kids." He motioned for Riddick to have a seat as he took up position in the main pilot chair.

The convict had a seat in the number two slot, looking over all the systems. He was surprised when Boss didn't try to stop him, or lock him out. Instead, the shifter just leaned the chair back, watching him closely. After a while, he inquired, "So what plans do you and my son have?"

Riddick shrugged, not taking his eyes off of the read-outs he was looking over. "Before everything happened on Lupus, we were planning to meet up with you. Then he wanted us to go our own way. Said he knew I wouldn't stick around if he agreed to come back with you."

"That so?" The shifter's tone was carefully guarded.

"Yeah." Riddick looked over then. "Except what he didn't realize yet was that I wouldn't have gone anywhere. He already had his claws in me."

Apparently Boss approved of that answer, quirking his lips and nodding. "So, you're gonna be a merc?" He chuckled a bit at the irony. "Suppose you'd be good at it, given your history." He relaxed further into his chair, sighing a bit. "Your file is very interesting actually. Does my son know you were framed?"

Riddick was taken aback by that, looking over at the relaxed shifter in surprise. He caught himself however, shaking his head. "Haven't exactly talked about my rap sheet, though I think he suspects if his pursuit logs were anything to go by."

Boss chuckled at that, obviously taking a guess as to how Riddick would have seen said logs.

The convict frowned then. "No one would believe me when it happened, so I stopped bothering." That was all he wanted to say, but something about Boss had a weird effect on him, and he found himself continuing without thinking.

"After the Strikeforce Academy I worked security on Sigma 3. Except 'security' meant beating the shit outta people and torturing them- sometimes killing them. It was slave labor. Except my complaints caught the attention of the higher-ups and when they found the evidence I'd been gathering against them…"

Riddick shook his head. "They destroyed everything and got me sent to Deep Storage hoping I would rot. Took almost three years 'fore I broke out. Took two guards and a pilot down in the process." It had secured him his getaway ship though, and he'd been in the wind. A million credit bounty got placed on his head by the Company that set him up in the first place, and the rest was history.

Snorting, Riddick stood, walking away a bit. "I became the most wanted man in a half dozen systems, and the more I escaped, the more mercs that came after my hide. Which meant more blood."

"So how accurate is the kill list they have on you?" Boss inquired.

Riddick shrugged. "I'm sure most of 'em I did. Though it wouldn't surprise me if there were more than a few bodies conveniently pinned on me." He turned to meet Boss' gaze, unyielding as he said, "I never murdered a single person. I only killed when I had to, despite what anyone else may see it as."

To his surprise, Boss nodded. "You're not telling me anything I didn't already read between the lines myself." He shrugged then, breaking eye contact and settling further into his chair. "But it was good to hear it from the source none-the-less."

It was quiet for a bit before Riddick chuckled, shaking his head ruefully. "You're a weird ass merc, y'know that?" He leaned on the back of his chair next to the shifter, watching him intently.

"Hmm, I would imagine to someone like yourself, that would seem the case. But I'm not such an enigma." His head lolled to the side to look at the convict. "I don't do this for the UD's. I do it for this little concept called law and order." To Riddick's scoff, he smirked. "A rather outdated principle to be sure. All the same, you see why I would be disinclined to take you back to a Slam." His smirk turned into a soft smile then. "Even if you weren't my son's mate."

The convict believed him too, as crazy as it sounded. Boss just seemed far too genuine to be bullshitting him. It was the first time he'd mentioned they were mates though, and that word coming from the merc's lips made Riddick think of something. Walking over to stand next to the shifter, Riddick inquired, "What happened to Johns' mom?"

Boss frowned, sitting up. "My mate died when Billy was a toddler." Riddick nodded, already knowing that. "She was murdered," he admitted, taking the convict off guard. The merc stood, starting to walk around, needing to stretch his muscles from the restless energy building inside of him as the memories resurfaced.

"She and Billy were walking around town where we were docked. Kids don't really have full control over their shifts- they just do what feels comfortable, and crowds always made Billy nervous." Riddick remembered back to Lupus when they would be in a crowded area, the way Johns would twitch. "He ended up shifting," Boss said, stopping to look him in the eye. Riddick wasn't sure he liked where things were going.

"Kara just scooped him up and kept walking, cradled in her arms. As small as he was, he would have passed for a housecat, except someone saw him shift." Boss' fists clenched. "They tried to take Billy, hit her when she wouldn't let him go. She shot two of them, and when they attacked her, she shifted, ripped them apart limb from limb. That's what the witnesses said anyway."

"But no one bothered to help," Riddick noted, a growl behind his statement.

There was a ripple under the skin on Boss' hands as they tried shifting to claws, his fangs dropping down into place. Whether he had heard Riddick or not, the convict couldn't be sure, for Boss just looked into the air with haunting images behind his eyes. "More came, and she grabbed Billy by the scruff and ran. When I found her…"

Boss' jaw popped, and he growled, fighting back the change, and Riddick stepped up into his space without thinking. The merc took a deep breath. "Billy was backed into a corner while Kara fought them." When Boss met his gaze, Riddick saw they had shifted to their slitted cat appearance, and Boss snarled out, "I killed every last one of them. But I was too late." He swallowed heavily. "Billy watched his mother die that day."

Riddick's brow furrowed, taking a step back. His mouth went dry, so many thoughts running through his head- vengeance, sadness, understanding. "That's why you told Johns to hide he was a shifter…"

Seeming to come under control of his anger, Boss nodded curtly. "He doesn't remember what happened, at least that he's ever admitted to me. Though, he wouldn't be able to hide it from me if he tried." He sighed heavily then, holding his temples. "I've tried my best to protect him, to shield him from a world that still doesn't fully accept what we are."

Riddick nodded in understanding. "I promise…"

Boss gave a sideways grin. "I know." He brought his hand up, wrapping it around the back of Riddick's neck in a reassuring gesture. His fingers brushed the rough mating marks, uncovered now that they had scabbed over, starting to heal. "I mentioned the _timing _in which you did this," he spoke, tapping a finger on Riddick's neck. "I was not condemning the _location._"

Turning part way, Boss twisted his head around. Riddick could see part of the healed scars, bite marks at the scruff of the neck, sitting on either side of the spine. How the convict hadn't noticed before was beyond him- then again, he'd been more concerned for his mate than anything else.

"I love him," Riddick said, though he wasn't sure why he was bothering to reassure anyone else. He knew his feelings, as did Johns. Usually that would have been all that mattered to him before. However, Johns and Boss had something special, something he'd never had himself. Riddick found that the elder shifter wasn't half bad, and something about the man made the convict want his respect.

"I know you do." Boss patted his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. His instincts had him leaning in, taking a quick sniff near Riddick's neck. The shifter detected traces of his son's scent, picking out the man's strangely feral aroma from it. Satisfied, Boss started to pull away when Riddick surprised him.

Turning his head, his son's mate took a deep inhale of his own scent in return. Even more surprising was when Riddick leaned in, butting his forehead against the side of Boss' head. He continued to breathe in the shifter's scent, slow and steady, and Boss did the same, letting their scents mingle a bit.

Riddick could smell the familiar relation of Boss with his mate. Their scents were pretty close, that same hint of sweetness. Sharing the same profession meant they had the same masking aromas as well. Still, there was a spicy scent to Boss that Johns didn't have.

Realizing he may have been overstaying his welcome in the shifter's personal space, Riddick pulled away after a little nudge with his nose to Boss' cheek. He noticed the light smile on the brunette's face though and knew he needn't worry about it. Sure enough, Boss reached out and restored contact, rubbing Riddick's skull as though ruffling his non-existent hair.

"Come on," the merc said. "I can smell Viper coming. We should get back to Billy."

There would be no arguments from Riddick there.

* * *

Walking into the medbay, Riddick froze, growling at the sight before him. Johns was sitting up in bed, while Dahl was standing next to him. They had been talking, which wouldn't have been a problem, save for the hand that was sitting on his mate's arm. The growl drew both their attention, however it stopped when Boss laid a hand on the convict's shoulder.

"Be still, Riddick," the shifter spoke calmly in his ear, moving closer into his personal space. To the average person, it would seem the cats had no concept of that, when really they simply knew how to use it to their advantage, knew how to speak to a like soul. Riddick was very much that, the feral side of him picking up the calm radiating from Boss and soothing his ruffled feathers.

Looking over at Dahl, Boss smiled softly. "I don't believe you've gotten to meet officially. Dahl, meet Riddick… Billy's mate."

The woman's eyes grew huge, looking back to Johns and smacking his arm. "You never told me you mated!"

Johns shrugged, attempting to look innocent, though the smirk on his face had them all knowing better. "Sorry? I planned to tell you once I could make all the intros myself, but apparently Dad felt the need to beat me to it."

Boss nodded, nudging Riddick a bit. "This is Dahl. She's been like a daughter to me. She and Billy practically grew up together." The convict caught onto the man's hints- _siblings, not lovers. _"I suggest never leaving them alone for too long… they may devise ways to make our lives miserable otherwise."

"Noted," Riddick replied, a smirk on his face. Even so, Boss could see he was still uneasy with the woman's presence and gestured for her to leave.

"The boy still needs rest, and you should go back to cryo."

"Boss…"

"Go on. I let you stay up long enough to know he was alright. Once Doc clears him, he and Viper will be going under too. So, no arguing."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. See you all when we hit Lupus system." Dahl smiled over at Johns. "Get better Billy. Can't cause mayhem if you can't walk."

"Eh, shut up," Johns shot back, though he was grinning. "You think too little of my skills if you think being off my feet is an issue."

Dahl paused, looking at Riddick. "It was good to meet you, Riddick. Take care of our Billy-boy, hmm?" Riddick only nodded, watching her go.

When she was gone, Riddick's muscles uncoiled, and Boss pat his shoulder, walking to take his place next to Johns' bed. "What was that all about?" the blonde questioned his mate, referring to his initial reaction.

"Shouldn't 'ave been touchin' you," the convict grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed next to Johns' legs, a hand resting on his thigh.

"What?" Johns furrowed his brows in confusion. "But, Dahl and I-"

"It's a natural reaction, Billy," Boss explained. "You're newly mated. It's a difficult transition period, even under the best conditions. But you mated under extreme circumstances, which will make it even harder." He looked between the pair, remembering his own mating all too well, and the whirlwind of emotions that he'd gone through. "Your bond is still settling into place. The two of you should ideally be spending most of your time together… alone. Reinforcing the bond and letting your bodies and minds adjust."

"I feel fine," Johns argued. "Well, save for my freakin' back and shoulder."

Boss smirked. "Yeah? And what if I told you Riddick and I were just talking to Viper?" He noticed his son perk up at that, staying perfectly still as he waited. "He and Riddick seemed to be getting along quite well in fact." Boss noticed the bristling start. "Actually, Viper said he'd like Riddick to comes back later… get a private tour of the cockpit." When Johns growled, Boss grinned in satisfaction. "Exactly."

Catching onto the fact his father was merely pulling his leg, Johns grumbled. "Point taken."

"And you," Boss continued, pointing at Riddick. "Go ahead and mark already 'cause you're fidgeting will drive me insane." Riddick blinked. He seriously shouldn't have been surprised by the shifter's insight any longer. Still, it was uncanny, and just a bit unsettling.

Boss stood up, walking towards the door. "I'll go find Doc- see 'bout gettin' you cleared so you can go have some privacy in your room. It'll do you both good to just rest together."

Not about to waste his opportunity- the man just _had _given the go ahead- Riddick shifted on the bed carefully, straddling his mate's hips. He sighed with pleasure, already feeling so much better being able to touch Johns again. Likewise, the blonde's lips quirked, reaching out to grab hold of his tank and pull him down. "I'm yours, Riddick," he assured.

Riddick growled low in his gut. "Yes you are. And everyone will know it." So he was being a possessive bastard- the convict couldn't find it in him to care. He pressed his body against the blonde's, careful not to press too hard because of his injuries. "Mmm, mine," he growled out, scenting the length of Johns' neck, nipping at the skin behind his ear.

Johns arched his body up to meet his, rubbing their cheeks together. "Mine," he parroted, licking Riddick's jaw.

They scented each other, rubbing their bodies and heads to press their own scent into the other. Of course, it was starting to have another effect on the pair. The heat was building between them, their breathing deepening. "Riddick," Johns breathed.

The convict's breath hitched, and he buried his face into his mate's neck to try and muffle the moan that escaped him. "Johns," he murmured, teeth nibbling on the curve of the shifter's neck.

A throat was cleared from the doorway, causing the pair to jump apart. "I said _marking_," Boss spoke, amusement shining in his eyes. "Save it for your room… And preferably when my son _isn't _injured, hmm?"

Riddick rolled off the bed, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as though they were a pair of horny teenagers that had just been caught. Johns was grinning impishly though, tugging him down to give him a quick kiss. "Hang in there, baby," he whispered in his ear, giving him a wink as the convict straightened up.

All Riddick could do was laugh. His mate would be the death of him. Or perhaps Boss, should he ever feel his son wasn't being taken care of properly. Riddick didn't foresee that becoming an issue though- he would never do anything to make his mate unhappy, not if he could help it.

Johns deserved the universe, and Riddick would move worlds to see that happen.


	11. Chapter 11

No sooner had Johns been cleared than the blonde had swung his legs out of bed and stood on slightly shaky legs. He hated hospitals and the medbay was far too close to one for his liking. Besides, his own bed was far more comfortable and it would be big enough for him and Riddick to stretch out on together. That thought alone was worth the gentle scolding from his father for moving around too quickly.

"Your room's just like you left it," Boss mentioned, walking them to the first room in the crew quarters. Riddick was just thankful that there was distance between them and the Captain's quarters right next to the cockpit. That was an awkward conversation he did _not _need to have once Johns was well enough to "reinforce their bond" as Boss had put it.

"I'll be up front," Boss mentioned, leaning in to kiss his son on the head. "Just holler if you need me."

Riddick nodded. "See you in twelve," he assured.

Since Doc and Viper would be joining the others in cryo, it would only be the three of them left awake- other than Owens and Shazza who had been by the medbay earlier on the way to the mess to get some food. As such, Riddick and Johns had agreed to switch out with Boss watching the cockpit- it would give all parties time to rest and eat, while the new mates wouldn't have to split up.

When Riddick looked around the small room, he had to grin. It was completely Johns. Everything was neat and tidy and had a place. Organization made a huge difference when space was limited, and growing up on a merc vessel and then being in the military gave the shifter a huge advantage of making the best of what was offered. "Ahh, a real bed," Johns sighed happily, falling onto the mattress face first.

Laughing and shaking his head, Riddick crawled onto the bed next to him. It was one of the few luxuries in the room, and ended up taking up most of the space. Then again, the cruiser was made for deep space runs, and not going into cryo meant a lot of time awake. Having to sleep on a standard cot would have been a nightmare, so the bed was completely worth it as far as Riddick was concerned.

"Come on, you," the convict scolded gently, pulling at his mate's shirt. "Strip so we can get some sleep."

Once they were under the sheets, Johns curled up against him and inhaled deeply. The shifter's own scent left in the room was stale- now he'd have his mate's scent there as well. That thought made him smile, and he was glad to be holding onto Riddick again, sleeping in the same bed. It had been weird for him not to have the warm body next to him while in medbay, and he knew had Morgan not pumped him full of drugs, sleeping would have never happened.

"Love you Riddick," he murmured into the other's throat.

Riddick squeezed lightly, kissing his forehead. "Love you too, beautiful."

* * *

The trio sat in the cockpit, casually talking about this or that. The new mates had come from the mess earlier, where they had gotten a chance to eat and talk with the two other survivors. Shazza had been keeping busy doing minor repairs that Boss hadn't had the opportunity to get to, and Owens spent some time with the elder shifter, running diagnostics and discussing potential upgrades. Still, the two were pretty restless, and despite the concept of cryosleep being _terrifying_ after all that had happened, the pair had convinced them that it was probably for the best.

"_Besides," _Johns had said with a cheeky grin, _"Riddick and I will be here to save your asses again if need be." _It had earned him a smack on the back of the head from his mate, but Shazza had kissed it all better, shaking her head at him ruefully.

It was truly just them now, and after a bit, Boss looked over at Riddick. "I'm surprised you didn't decide to go into cryo yourself."

"Wasn't it _you _that said about bonding time?" Johns questioned, smirking at his father. He sat too far away for Boss to hit, so the elder shifter gave him a mock scorning look. "Besides, Riddick doesn't go under anyway."

Boss' gaze returned to his new son-in-law, brows furrowed together. "How's that?"

Riddick shrugged. "No idea. Just always been that way. I just kindda drift. Hell, I've even dreamed."

"Dreams?" That was different alright. It had been made clear in the short time he'd known Riddick that there was a distinct feral quality to him- from his scent, his demeanor, and even his instincts. He made the same inquiry as his son had, about whether or not he could be part shifter, but the answer remained the same- Riddick didn't know his past.

Boss sat in the pilot chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Don't like that look," Johns mentioned. That time his father's glare was real. Riddick was looking between them, but when his questioning gaze fell to his mate, all Johns could do was shrug.

It was silent for a few minutes before Boss finally spoke up again. "I may have an idea of what you are, but you'll have to be completely honest with me." He turned the chair so his dark eyes pierced into Riddick's. "How'd you get those eyes?"

The convict hesitated, wetting his lips. "At Butcher Bay," he ended up admitting. "While I was escaping, I ended up in the sewer system and all the underground of the place. This woman…" He shook his head, huffing. He knew how crazy it sounded. "She spoke to me. Said I'd been 'blind for too long' and then… everything went bright."

Johns frowned. "You said-"

"I know." Riddick looked at him then. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. Honestly, I didn't think you'd believe me. Hell, I barely believe it."

"This woman," Boss questioned, "was she really there? Or in your head?" By the incredulous expression on the convict's face though, he easily determined the latter. Boss looked like he was slowly putting the pieces together, like a puzzle, muttering to himself, "Unknown location of origin, shined eyes, dreams in cryo…" He looked up at him again, asking, "Have you seen or heard that woman before? In your dreams?"

Riddick nodded slightly. "At least I think it was her. Got an earful afterward, while we were on the _Hunter_."

"Do you remember what she said?"

He furrowed his brows, trying his best to remember. It was all fuzzy, but he could recall at least one thing. "Said I needed to waken… waken some side of me."

"Furyan," Boss all but whispered.

"Yeah," Riddick replied, recognizing the word. "What the hell is that?"

The shifter shook his head. "Unbelievable." He held his head. "It would figure… No wonder you're so in touch with your inner beast, or that my son was so drawn to you. You're Furyan."

"What the fuck's a Furyan?"

"A race, long dead I'm afraid. Well, or so the universe as a whole likes to think." He spun his chair around, punching in a few things on the computer. A screen rose from the console, and he gestured the pair over to take a look. "Here," he said, pulling up a system neither were familiar with.

"Furya," Boss spoke, pointing out one of the planets. "The system isn't even on any new star charts. Furya's a dead world now, and it was the only planet that had been habitable. Well, if you'd call the extreme weather shifts and deadly wildlife 'habitable.' See the eccentric orbit? Made it extremely hard to chart- which was a great defense advantage- but it's what caused the inhospitable environment as well."

Boss looked over at Riddick. "The people who used to live there, they adapted to the harsh conditions, became something new, something a bit more than human. Extremely strong, resilient, heightened senses, defiant… Was said that they were more animal than man."

Riddick frowned, seeing how Boss may think him one of these Furyans. "So how do you know that's what I am?" He had to be sure.

"Wasn't enough description for you?" Boss mused. He went into the system, accessing his private data stores. The trio of monitors in front of him popped up with all sorts of information, and Johns let out a surprised noise, having never seen any of it before.

Hitting one of the sections, it zoomed in, showing some sort of documents in a language they didn't recognize. The computer system then worked at translating them, scrolling the contents in the common universal language. "What is all this?" Johns asked, leaning over his father's shoulder, his mate doing the same on the other side.

"Some things from Furya that were saved," Boss answered. "I like to think I know more about Furyans than most, but even I learned a thing or two when I found these." He located the part he was looking for, pausing the scrolling. "Here."

Riddick started to read, shocked by what he found. "_Our Alphas carry with them the power of our ancestors. Their spirits come to them as they meditate, bringing with them all of the powers needed to protect our people. They awaken them, awaken their Alpha nature, so that they may inherit the powers of Furya."_

"Alpha?" Riddick questioned aloud.

"Now _that _I can help with," Boss offered. "They're the leaders on Furya, the Furyans even more animal than the rest. They developed… abilities. I'm not sure the details, just that they could be used to guard their packs, the family units they watched over. Those eyes though…" Boss looked him straight in the eye then, admiring them a moment. "Those are only for Alphas."

"So are you tellin' me that this chick that's been talkin' to me is… some kindda ghost?"

Boss shrugged. "If what these documents say is true… I suppose so."

"Wonderful," he muttered.

Johns furrowed his brows. "How do you know all this Dad?"

Boss looked over at his son. "Because I've been to Furya. Before it became a dead world." He sighed, tapping a few things onto the keyboard. "It was a place shifters were safe."

"Was I…?" Johns wet his lips.

"It was before you were born." He glanced at his son, admitting, "Had things not happened the way they had, perhaps we could have lived there. Especially after…" He didn't finish, but both men knew what Boss was going to say- _after Kara died._

"What happened to them?" Riddick asked after a couple minutes of silence.

"War," Boss replied. "How old are you again Riddick?"

"Twenty-five."

Boss nodded. "That's when Furya fell. You may have been with the survivors who managed to get off world before…"

"Before what?" There was a hint of growl behind it, a feral quality that he finally had a name for at least.

"Nuclear strike. Leveled the capital, fallout rained over everything else." He shook his head. "Complete destruction." He looked at Riddick then. "The only Furyans left were those that managed to get off world or that were elsewhere to begin with- which honestly wouldn't have been many. Furyans were close, they tended to stay home, and they knew battle. They wouldn't have left a fight for their home easily."

"But a child," Johns figured out, looking between his father and mate. "A child would have been reason enough."

Riddick snorted. "So if I was so important than why was I left for dead in a dumpster?!"

Boss sighed. "I can't say, Riddick. Though I can almost guarantee it wasn't your parents that would have had a hand in that. Shifters and Furyans are more alike than you think."

"Guess so," he admitted, knowing that he had always felt more animal than human. At least he finally knew why.

Riddick collapsed back into the co-pilot chair, a deep frown on his face. He had a home and a people to call his own, but they were no more. He was a dying breed- frankly he couldn't find himself to be surprised. He felt the presence of his mate and went willingly into his arms as he was wrapped into a gentle embrace.

Taking in Johns' sweet scent, he realized that knowing everything didn't actually change a thing. Riddick had the man in his arms. That was all the home he needed.

* * *

"Are you nuts?!" Johns asked, looking across the table at his father. They had been eating together in the mess when Boss had made a suggestion that floored them both.

"I really think it's the best option," the elder merc replied calmly. "Besides, it won't hurt him."

Riddick couldn't argue there. He might not have been keen on the idea, but he couldn't help feeling curious. Boss had suggested they hook him into a cryo system, let him drift. The thought was with most of his brain shut down it would allow the ancestor spirit that had been plaguing him since Butcher Bay to come to him again, to finish what she started.

"Alright," the convict answered. "Let's do it."

Johns frowned over at him. "You sure?" Riddick nodded and the blonde sighed. "Alright… If it's what you wanna do." He leaned over, nuzzling into the Furyan's neck. "I won't leave your side."

Sure enough, when they made their way back to the cryo area, Boss set up a comfortable chair with a mini-unit attached to it, and Johns stayed plastered to his mate. His father actually snapped at him at one point because he was getting in the way of him hooking Riddick up. Johns only hissed, earning him a swat on the ass, and he finally moved.

"Now," Boss spoke, looking straight into Riddick's eyes, "we'll be right here. Anything seems hinky, we'll pull you out, ok?"

Riddick nodded, obviously trusting his mate, but also trusting this new father figure in his life as well. "Let's get this done." He smirked. "Got a date with a dead chick."

"No tongue," Johns remarked as his father flipped the unit on.

"No worries, beautiful," the convict whispered, bringing his unbound arm up so he could brush his cheek.

Johns watched as the cryo started to take effect, Riddick's eyes drooping, and hand going slack. When he drifted down into the abyss, the cat whined a little, shifting from foot to foot. He ended up sitting next to his mate, just holding his hand, but that didn't last for long. Johns gave in to his feline side, shifting into jaguar form and curling up at his mate's feet protectively.

All the while, Boss watched over the pair, looking to the readouts on the monitor. He hoped this ancestor spirit would show up sooner rather than later, not liking the idea of Riddick being under cryo anymore than his son. He hadn't lied- Riddick was perfectly safe- but he knew from experience how uncomfortable just floating in a daze could be.

"Where are you?" Boss whispered.

* * *

Riddick drifted, only vaguely aware of the goings on around him. He wasn't sure how long he'd been under the effects of cryo when it happened. The woman he'd seen in his dreams on the _Hunter-Gratzner_, the same woman he'd heard at Butcher Bay, was standing before him. "You are strong, Riddick," she spoke. "But you still lack the full gifts of our people."

"Who are you?" he asked, unsure if it was aloud or in his mind. Either way, she heard him.

"Who I am is not important Riddick. It's _what _I am."

"An ancestor spirit."

She nodded. "You've been speaking with the shapeshifter. That is good." She moved closer. "There are things you need to know, Riddick. So many things. But the most important you can know is that your parents did _not _abandon you."

Riddick was surprised that she knew his doubts, but then if she knew about Boss, he shouldn't have been. "How would you know?" he asked instead, defiant to the end.

She didn't answer though, instead she explained what happened, and Riddick could barely believe it. "Your parents were some of the few that escaped the nuclear fires on Furya. They thought to start over somewhere safe with their infant son. However the enemy of Furya followed the survivors, slaughtering all those they could find. Your parents died protecting you." She paused before admitting, "It was the assassins that tried to kill you, left you in the dumpster. Not your parents, not the mother who had just given birth to her greatest joy."

Riddick didn't have the words. All these years that he had spent believing his parents had tried to kill him, had never wanted him, had been a waste. His anger, his rage, had been misplaced. "Yes, Riddick," she spoke, as though reading his turbulent thoughts. "Hold onto that rage. It is the rage of a whole race. The Rage of Furya."

She held out her hand, placing it upon his chest. "These are the powers of all Alphas before you Riddick, and all that are to come." She looked him in the eye as she said, "But it's going to hurt."

Pain flared through Riddick like he'd never known before, every nerve ending screaming. He felt it build and build until it finally felt like he was bursting. Then it completely vanished, and he felt himself drifting towards the darkness. Before completely blacking out, he heard the spirit whispering, "You're awake now… my son."

* * *

Johns was on his feet the moment that Riddick started to convulse. The monitors beeped loudly and Boss hit them as his son changed back. "What's happening?!"

Boss shook his head. "She's here. She must be."

The younger shifter looked to his mate, hands reaching out for him but not knowing if he should touch him. "Riddick…" he whimpered. When a strange blue glowing traveled up his veins, he gasped, reaching for the cryo shut down.

"No!" Boss ordered, snagging his arm. "Not yet."

Johns shook him off, grabbing hold of Riddick's arm, intending to shut the system down anyway. Just then, Riddick cried out and a pulsewave seemed to burst from him, knocking into the shifters and traveling out through the ship. Boss was sent across the room, grunting as he hit first the wall and then the floor. Johns, however, had barely budged.

"Riddick!" he shouted, seeing his mate slump back in the chair. He immediately shut down the cryo, shaking his mate. "Riddick! Wake up!" He heard Boss picking himself up, gazing at him in concern. "Dad… he's out cold."

Boss growled a little, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, well so was I just about."

"You alright?" Johns asked as Boss walked over, realizing his father could be hurt as well. Waving him off, Boss just looked at the monitors. Everything looked normal, surprisingly enough.

When Johns reached out to shake him again, a hand snagged his wrist, squeezing tightly. "Riddick!" The Furyan's eyes were darting around, trying to focus. "I'm here, mate," he assured, talking soothingly until Riddick met his gaze. "You ok?"

It took a moment, but Riddick nodded. "I think so."

"Whoa!" Johns exclaimed, taking a half step back as he looked at Riddick's chest. The convict looked down as well, shocked to find what appeared to be a glowing blue handprint.

Boss only smirked. "You're Furyan alright." As the boys looked to him, he added, "And now you're an awakened Alpha."

Riddick and Johns looked at each other, both still unsure what to make of these new revelations of the convict's background. At the end of the day though, Riddick only needed to know one thing- he had Johns, and he always would. With that in mind, he pulled his mate in close, giving him a reassuring kiss. Johns smiled softly, meeting deep silver eyes that he would never get tired of gazing into.


	12. Chapter 12

Johns was nestled up next to Riddick when the latter felt a hand creeping up the inside of his thigh. "_Johns_," he warned.

"What? We haven't had sex since leaving Lupus, and I'm in the mood." Johns purred pointedly, nuzzling under his mate's chin. "'Sides, you heard Dad…" The blonde's leg hooked around Riddick's hip and then he pushed so the other was on his back, the shifter straddling his hips. "We're supposed to be reinforcing our bond."

"You're hurt," the Furyan reasoned, trying very hard to resist the temptation on display.

"We'll take things easy," Johns replied, grinding against his lover. There was a satisfied smirk on his face as he watched Riddick's eyes roll back into his head before he could stop the action. Voice dropping into silky lust, he leaned down, nibbling on an earlobe. "You know you want to."

Riddick cursed softly, ending up grabbing his mate's hips and rolling his pelvis up. Johns gave a satisfied chuckled. "Need you," the convict admitted. He pushed the shifter up enough to meet his brilliant blue eyes. "Have to be careful though. Don't wanna hurt you."

Johns couldn't blame his mate, knew full well he would worry if the shoe was on the other foot. "Well, me topping's pretty much outta the question. And this is about the only position I can think of that will work right now." Being on his back was bound to irritate the injury by his spine, and he doubted he could hold his body weight for long on his hands and knees thanks to the shoulder wound.

Gentle fingers traced the slash going from the blonde's abdomen down across his hip and ending wrapped around on the side of his butt cheek. "If it hurts…" Riddick conceded. "You tell me."

The shifter gave a curt nod, not wanting to agree since he knew it would mean they would stop, but he would do it if it made Riddick feel better. "Now," Johns said, just as curtly, "fuck me already."

Riddick shook his head, smiling then. "No, baby," he spoke softly, thumb brushing his lower lip as he held the blonde's chin. "I'm gonna make love to you." He silenced Johns' soft moan by pressing their lips together. Slow, sensual kisses followed, their tongues twinning together.

It was their first time together as mates, and Riddick wanted it to be special.

Fingers threaded into soft curls, rubbing gently against the scalp. Another hand fell to the unmarred hip, giving a firm squeeze. Giving as good as he got, Johns rolled his hips, pulling a breathy gasp from his mate. He sucked on Riddick's tongue, relishing the wanting noises the Furyan made.

Pushing against Johns' chest, Riddick made him sit back up. He offered his fingers and the blonde smirked before wrapping his lips around them. He didn't mind teasing Riddick, sucking on his fingers and wrapping his tongue around them as though it were the man's erection. Sure enough, Riddick growled, thrusting his hips up in desire.

Knowing he had to take things easy, Riddick reined it in, though barely. He claimed back his fingers, only to have them searching for his mate's opening. As Johns was prepared for their love-making, the pair traded tender kisses, whispering words of affection between soft moans.

When Riddick finally entered the tight heat, they were gone. Bliss was a state of being, wrapped in desire, and becoming one. They could both feel the connection of their bonding, rippling between them as something tangible, drawing them closer together, and linking them on an even deeper level.

They rode out the waves of pleasure, their coupling slow and gentle. It was filled with more passion than they had shared before. It was as they were coming down from their mutual orgasms, looking into each other's eyes, that they felt the rest of the mate bond snap into place.

That was when they sensed it, the feeling of completeness. They were one in mind, body, and soul. Forever.

"Mate," Johns whispered, placing their foreheads together.

Riddick smiled in agreement. "Mate."

* * *

Boss led the way into the meeting chambers of Lupus Guild. It was a good size circular room with leveled seating where the members could sit, looking down to the floor where a long table was sat with the board members. It was an emergency meeting that had been called, outside of the normal monthly get together- that's how much pull the veteran merc had. In honesty, he would have been running the board, but sitting on his ass was never appealing to the likes of Boss.

Walking down the stairs, Johns and Riddick flanked him, followed by Dahl, Viper, Moss, Lockspur, and Doc. The whole crew had come in support of their leader. Even Shazza and Owens had joined them, mostly out of curiosity, but also because Boss had asked them to stay on his crew- a good navigator and tech was hard to find, and a mechanic like Shazza was a nice addition. They hadn't given him an answer yet, but they had decided to tag along to the meeting all the same.

Riddick saw the rough three dozen mercs in attendance all turn to watch them. He cringed inwardly, not particularly seeing the logic of walking straight into the lion's den- he was still a wanted man after all. He would stand by his mate though, and that meant he had to suck it up and go along with it. Boss had assured him that no one would touch him, and Riddick believed him surprisingly enough. Still, it was hard not to note all the exits and plan his escape should things go south.

Boss motioned for the crew to have a seat in the front once they'd reached the center, but he whispered for his son and Riddick to stay put. The convict wasn't sure he liked where things were going. He had no clue just what Boss was planning to do, although Johns and he both speculated it was going to be further talk about what had occurred when they were last planetside.

The blonde reached out, taking hold of Riddick's hand in a comforting gesture. He noticed how his mate's tensed muscles relaxed, and his face instantly calmed. Silver eyes flickered over to him and Johns gave him a reassuring smile. They would be fine.

"Johns," a man greeted Boss- Damas, the President of the Guild.

Riddick noticed Kratos and Xander from the hospital. There were two others that he didn't recognize, plus the president. Johns knew them all though, and he scowled. Thankfully neither of them had to speak, otherwise they were bound to run their mouths. Boss, however, wasn't holding back.

"I'm gonna cut to the chase," the veteran merc said. "The Guild still hasn't paid my son's medical bills. Nor have I heard any official statement condemning the actions of those that attacked him."

Damas glared over at Kratos. "I apologize that the funds haven't been transferred. I'll see to it personally." Clearly, that had been something Kratos was supposed to handle, yet hadn't. Johns smirked, imagining the ass-chewing he would receive later. "As far as your other concern goes…" He leaned forward with his elbows on the table, folding his hands together. "There's been some… complications."

Boss narrowed his gaze. "And what would that be?" he demanded lowly.

Xander sneered. "During the course of our investigation, it's come to our attention that your son likely instigated the attack."

"That's bullshit!" Johns growled, trying to lunge forward. Riddick restrained him, though he would have much rather let his mate rip their throats out- just for general purpose.

"Is that so?" Boss asked dryly. When Xander nodded, the elder shifter gave a very feral grin. "Apparently you have no fucking clue what you're doing then. Not really a surprise there." Riddick and Johns both stopped their fighting one another to stare at Boss.

Xander started to stand, growling, "What did you say?"

"Sit down," Boss snapped. "No one's speaking to you."

As Xander was being scolded by Damas, Riddick and Johns snickered. Boss cut them a look that instantly silenced them. Riddick felt like a kid who had just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Why _he _should be affected by the man was beyond him, and he ended up muttering something about "Dad powers" that made Johns grin cheekily.

Boss motioned for the folder Dahl was holding, striding up and tossing it onto the board's table, documents spilling out of it. "Signed affidavits from the bar tenders who witnessed Lupus Guild members starting an altercation with Sigma Guild mercs. Also, one statement that says she overheard said Lupus mercs threatening William and his companion for not participating in the fight. You'll also find eye-witness accounts of the attack in which the other guild members _assaulted _the both of them… _unprovoked_."

Riddick and Johns looked at each other and smirked. Boss was something else.

"So, now that we have that out of the way," Boss continued, walking back to his original place, "I assume the Guild will be releasing that statement we discussed over comms, Damas?"

The Guild leader swallowed hard, but faced with the overwhelming evidence, there was no way the rest of the board could even _think _of bringing charges against his son. "Of course, Johns," Damas assured. "Conduct unbecoming such as this should not go unrecognized. We cannot have the Guild gaining a negative reputation."

Riddick snorted at that, and Johns couldn't even scold him because he barely held back his own scoff. At least that time Boss didn't pull rank. "Very good," the elder shifter said. "Oh, and there's just one more piece of business I needed to discuss with you."

"Of course. Anything."

_Ahh, _Johns thought cheekily, _we're at the point of kissing ass now._

"I need to pay off a bounty." Both Riddick and Johns stiffened at that. Before the convict could open his mouth to protest though, Boss was continuing, "Richard B. Riddick."

There was a murmuring around the room from the other mercs in attendance, and the board's attention all seemed to turn on Riddick at once. If they realized that he in fact was said convict, they made no move towards him. Although, that may have been because of Boss' low warning growl, drawing their attention back.

"Of course, Johns," Damas assured. "If you transfer the funds, I'll see to it that they go to the proper parties."

Boss was already tapping away on his mini-comp. "Current bounty at 1 mill." He looked up then. "Done."

Riddick was gnashing his teeth together, growling lowly. He took a step towards Boss, but Johns grabbed hold of his arm. Not that it stopped the convict, who ended up dragging the blonde along, his feet unable to grip on the tile floor. "I didn't ask for your help," he growled out, standing at the man's shoulder.

Boss ignored him though, still looking at Damas. "I also sent along a year of guild fees."

"That's goin' too far!" Riddick snarled. His mate managed to pull him back, only to get shoved roughly out of the way as the convict climbed the stairs two at a time.

Johns was stunned by the man's outbursts, looking between his retreating form and his father. "Go on," Boss urged gently. He'd been expecting such a reaction all along.

As Johns rushed to catch up with his mate, Damas asked, "You mean to tell me you want us to accept a convict into the Guild?"

"Ex-convict," Boss corrected- his credits would see to that. He smirked. "And yes, I do."

The other mercs present talked rather loudly, and Boss watched as the board members all tried to speak at once. Damas shot out of his seat, yelling above the noise, "Quiet!" Once everyone had settled down, he nodded his head in resignation. "Very well. I assume you will be handling the paperwork?" When Boss nodded affirmatively, the guild leader sighed. "In that case, let the record show that Lupus Guild has a new member- Richard B. Riddick."

* * *

Johns burst out the door, catching up to the Furyan in the hallway. "Riddick! Wait!" He slid in front of him, hands on his shoulders to stop him. "Riddick!"

"He had no right to do that!" the ex-convict yelled.

"Baby, if you don't wanna do the whole merc thing-"

"Not that," Riddick growled out, pulling away from the shifter. He held his head in frustration. "Don't you get it?! He owns me now!"

"A bit of an exaggeration there, mate."

"Really? And just where do you think I'm gonna get the one million UD's to pay him back?!"

"Who said anything about paying me back?" a voice spoke up. Both men turned to find Boss striding over to them. "You don't owe me a thing, Riddick."

The Furyan snorted. "You see why I find that hard to believe."

The shifter shook his head. "Do you realize how long it would have taken for you and Billy to earn enough to pay off your bounty? Don't think I don't know that's what my son planned on doing…"

Johns looked away, attempting to appear innocent, but failing miserably.

"This is a gift, Riddick," Boss continued, a smile playing on his lips. "Consider it my mating present to you both."

When the veteran merc opened his arms, Johns stepped into his embrace easily. He nuzzled against his father's cheek, smiling. "Thanks, Dad."

Boss held out his free arm, gesturing slightly with his hand. Riddick sighed heavily before stepping up next to them, allowing Boss to hold him as well. As he let his muscles uncoil, he snaked his arms around them both. "I've only got one son," the merc stated. "So how 'bout lettin' me have another one to take care of sometime too, hmm?"

Somewhere deep inside of Riddick reacted to that statement in a surprising way. Boss thought of him as a son… It was such a foreign concept to Riddick- the idea of a family. Yet, there he was, with a mate, a father, and a new group of people he might have been able to tentatively call friends. Riddick nestled his nose into Boss' neck, just enjoying the moment.

* * *

Riddick ran. It seemed that's all he did- running from mercs that dogged him everywhere he went. These latest ones on his tail weren't the usual sort. They didn't get shaken loose like other mercs did. They were good- _damn good- _and it pained Riddick to admit it.

There were flashes of black and gold that followed at his heels, running through the back alleys and buildings of the abandoned warehouse district on the edge of the city. Riddick ducked down a narrow path between two buildings, disappearing into the shadows.

When the pair of jaguars skid as they turned into the alley, they halted when they found nothing there. A holler from above was their only warning before Riddick dropped down on top of them. Both shifters yelped in surprise, only to end up making playful chirping noises as Riddick started to laugh.

Johns shoved his paw into his mate's face. He should have expected Riddick to pull something like that- it was a good trick after all. The cat rubbed his head against the Furyan's shoulder, and then moved up to his cheek.

Riddick rubbed back before looking between the jaguars. "I believe that makes one of you 'it' now," he mentioned with a feral grin.

Boss shoved at the man, sending him onto his rear, before jumping up onto one of the alley walls. Showing the agility and strength he had in his second form, the golden jaguar twisted, leaping to the other wall and back again, all the way up to the roof. "Nice," Riddick admitted, Johns making a cat-like hum next to him.

The mates looked at each other, each grinning themselves before following suit. Johns mimicked his father, while Riddick scrambled at the small handholds the decaying bricks offered. When they reached the roof, they found Boss waiting for them, sitting back on his haunches nonchalantly while looking at one of his paws he was holding in front of him, flexing his claws. The cocky look he gave them just screamed "What took you so long?" Then, just like that, he was gone in a flash.

Back and forth they played, chasing each other. They attempted to match each other, "capture" for "capture," while also trying to upstage the others with crazy moves. It was more fun than Riddick recalled having in a long time, and Johns realized just how much he'd missed getting to spend time like this with his father.

Down near the shoreline that butted up against the warehouses, Riddick pounced on his mate, taking him to the ground. They rolled a few times before Johns ended up on top, looking down at the Furyan triumphantly. He gave Riddick a quick lick along his jaw.

Tongue turned into lips as the jaguar shifted back into his human form. Body draped over his mate, Johns kissed along his neck, purring softly. Riddick's hands traveled up under the shifter's shirt, moving his head to find the other's lips.

As they lay there, framed against the setting sun, a golden jaguar shook his head before shifting. "I'll see you both back at the ship," he mentioned, laughing when all he received was a pair of slight hand waves. Boss was just glad his son was happy, that he'd found his mate. The fact Riddick was a seamless match for him didn't escape the elder shifter, and Boss left the pair knowing they would be perfectly fine with the other watching over them.

Once Boss had left, Riddick pulled the blonde even closer, nipping at his lower lip. Johns pulled back from the kiss, smiling brightly. "Y'know, I think we're gonna be ok, Riddick," he mentioned.

Riddick grinned right back. "Yeah, beautiful. I think so too."

The sun might have been setting, but their new life together was dawning. They knew as long as they had the other, they could face whatever came their way. Having each other made their lives complete, each one half of the whole. Their souls were bonded for eternity, and neither would have it any other way.

* * *

**A/N: The ****first paragraph in the last section was a harken back to the very beginning of the story. **


	13. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

A month. It had taken only a month being away from Boss' team- after a year of being with them- for Johns and his father to start on their bickering again. Riddick groaned, listening to the two of them go at it. Honestly, he hadn't even been paying attention to what it was they were going on about, as it was most likely pointless things- as per usual.

"Yeah?" Johns shouted. "Well fuck you!" He slammed on the button to end the video feed, and Riddick looked at his mate with his mouth hung open.

"Did you just say that to Boss?" he asked incredulously, dreading just how pissed off the veteran merc would be this time around.

Before the blonde could snap out a reply, the console rang and he actually let it connect. To say Boss was fuming was putting it mildly. "Did you hang up on me?!" he growled out.

"I dunno," Johns replied sarcastically. "Did it sound something like this?!" When the call cut again, the shifter looked over at Riddick, suddenly realizing just how much trouble he was in. "Shit. I'm gonna pay for that later, aren't I?"

Riddick cringed. "I think maybe we should go separate ways for a while… I don't feel like being blown up by your father."

Once more the console beeped and the Furyan pointed at it. "Apologize!" Riddick ordered sternly.

As soon as Johns hit the button though, Boss' voice echoed through the small ship. "William J. Johns! You are so grounded!"

Johns held back the eye roll, knowing it would only make things worse. His father had never quite gotten the concept that he couldn't ground him anymore, what with the being an adult and out on his own thing. "Will it help if I say sorry?" he asked, giving Boss his best pouting face.

He replied with a bit of growl behind it, "It's a start."

Riddick appeared over his mate's shoulder, looking at the screen. He could see the vein throbbing on his head, and knew just how upset the elder shifter was. "How about if he gets no sex for a week?" he suggested. He _really _didn't feel like being on the man's shit list because his mate couldn't hold his temper.

"Hey!" Johns protested, shoving him away. "No one asked you!"

Boss chuckled though. "I would say yes Riddick, but I know better. You'd be the first to crack."

"Ok, can't argue that one," he muttered in reply.

Johns took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. "I really am sorry Dad," he spoke sincerely. "I love you."

Boss deflated in an instant, and once again Riddick was left amazed at how much they were both completely wrapped around Johns' little finger. "Love you too, Billy. Riddick," he called. When said man returned to the screen he said, "Take care of my boy."

"Always, Dad," he answered, and Riddick didn't miss the way Boss' lips quirked at that.

"Be safe- the both of you. We'll see you on Helion in a few weeks."

With the good-byes out of the way, Riddick grabbed hold of his trouble-making mate by the front of his shirt, hauling him up. "What am I gonna do with you?" he graveled out.

Johns only gave him a lewd grin. "Spank me?" he suggested.

Riddick groaned, head falling onto the shifter's shoulder. "You will be the death of me."

"Not today mate," Johns replied, pulling Riddick towards their cot. The kiss they shared was passionate and deep, bodies lying flush together. "Love you, Riddick," he whispered in his ear.

"I love you too, beautiful." Riddick grinned, drawing his mate in for another kiss.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to all o****f my reviewers and followers. You guys are amazing as always. Hope you've enjoyed my crazy little AU here. Honestly, I already have a sequel outlined based off the new movie, but I can't say as to when I'll start it as I have a **_**ton **_**of other projects I'm doing right now. Hopefully I'll get to it soon though, so stay tuned to my profile for any updates on my current active projects.**


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